Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of East Alabama Welcomes New Doctor
On July 1, Dr. Thomas (T.J.) Fuqua will join Dr. Jim Grady and will take the leading role at Oral and Facial Surgery of East Alabama (formerly OMSea). He received his D.M.D. from the UAB School of Dentistry in 2003, and his M.D. in 2006. He is now completing a six year residency at UAB, where he recently served as Chief Resident in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Fuqua has participated in a cleft lip/cleft palate mission trip to Juarez, Mexico and recently received the Synthes Trauma Award for Excellence for his contribution to trauma care and research. The award also funded a special grant to assist in further research in the area of trauma care. Dr. Fuqua is currently a member of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the American Medical Association, and the American Dental Association, and is Board eligible for the American Board of Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgery.
Dr. Fuqua plans to maintain the current level of excellent care that the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of East Alabama has provided for more than 30 years. Dr. Jim Grady, practice founder, stated "T.J. brings a new perspective and fresh approach to the health professions in our community. His training and professional interests and the additional services he brings to the area will play a vital role in taking our practice to a completely new level". While Dr. Fuqua's outpatient professional interests will focus on surgical removal of impacted teeth, placement of dental implants, treatment of oral pathology, and reconstructive and pre-prosthetic surgery, he also plans to join the medical staff at East Alabama Medical Center where he will perform orthognathic surgery, take emergency room call for traumatic facial injuries, and become involved with the hospital's sleep center to provide surgical options for correction of obstructive sleep apnea.
According to Dr. Fuqua, he chose to settle in the Auburn/Opelika community because it has always felt like home to him. "I've been coming to the area since I was five years old for various things like athletic events and camps," said Dr. Fuqua. "Attending Auburn University for my undergraduate education only solidified my love for the community." And he added, "When I was given the opportunity to make the Auburn/Opelika area my permanent home, I jumped at the chance".
Dr. Fuqua chose the field of oral surgery because the surgical nature of the profession provided a broad scope of treatment options that best suited his abilities and his desire to meet the challenge for helping others. In addition, this field still allows him time for his family which include his wife Jenny, also an Auburn graduate, and three young children, Trey, five; Parker, 21 months; and Jack, nine months. "My wife and I are really excited about moving to the area. We see it as the perfect place to raise our family and we want to become an active part of this community that has already given us so many wonderful memories," said Dr. Fuqua. |
Dear Referring Doctors and Staffs,
I am very excited to announce that Thomas Hughes
(T.J.) Fuqua, Jr. D.M.D., M.D., will be taking over
the leading role in this practice on July 1st. Both he
and his wife, Jenny, are very excited to be returning
to the Auburn area when he completes his OFS residency at UAB this summer.
Dr. Fuqua comes to us highly recommended, and
not only can he be expected to be a valuable asset
to our professional community, I am sure that he
and his family will make important contributions
to our community in general. To formally introduce him to the dental community we are presently working on plans to have a reception soon after he arrives. He also is looking forward to meeting with each of you, less formally, as soon as he gets settled.
With the transition, we expect very few changes, however you will see the name change to Oral and Facial Surgery of East Alabama, LLC (from OMSea to OFSea) a change consistent with recommendations from our specialty. Otherwise, he and I have agreed that I will remain active in the practice for the foreseeable future. In this regard, and while I do plan to cut back on my surgery schedule, I will remain available to assist him with office details as he learns the business aspects of the practice. Neither do we anticipate changes in the present office staff, although we will add an office coordinator to assist with the details of the transition. We expect this position will also be important to us later as it helps us compensate in those areas where we need to improve our ability and consistency in responding to you and your patient's needs.
As far as scheduling is concerned, since I will limit my schedule after July 1, we expect to soon begin scheduling patients for Dr. Fuqua. So, unless a patient requests otherwise, they will now be scheduled for the doctor with the first available appointment.
For myself, please allow me to say that I sincerely appreciate all of the support and encouragement that you have given me throughout the years, and I sincerely hope that you will continue to support Dr. Fuqua and me with similar or renewed enthusiasm.
Sincerely, Jim Grady |
