Dr. Wilburn Thomas is a highly skilled and Board-Certified podiatrist with over 25 years of experience in medical and surgical foot and ankle care. As the founder of Southeast Foot Care in San Antonio, Texas, he has dedicated his career to providing comprehensive, patient-centered treatments for a wide range of foot, ankle, and lower leg conditions.

Dr. Thomas earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (formerly Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine) in Chicago, Illinois. He then completed his initial residency training at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSCSA) in San Antonio, where he trained under renowned physician, surgeon, and educator Dr. Lawrence Harkless. During his time at UTHSCSA, he developed expertise in diabetic foot wounds, limb salvage, and limb preservation, working alongside multidisciplinary teams, including vascular surgeons, infectious disease specialists, orthopedic surgeons, and internal medicine physicians.

Further refining his surgical expertise, Dr. Thomas completed an additional residency in podiatric surgery at Southwestern General Hospital in El Paso, Texas, where he advanced his skills in foot and ankle reconstructive procedures. Recognizing the critical need for specialized podiatric care in underserved communities, he established his practice in San Antonio in 1997, an area designated at the time as medically underserved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Dr. Thomas is Board Certified and a Diplomate of the American Board of Foot & Ankle Surgery. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (FACFAS), a prestigious designation that highlights his extensive surgical expertise and commitment to excellence. He is among the few podiatrists in San Antonio to have served as active staff at two major Wound Care Centers, one of which he was the first podiatrist on staff.

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Thomas has contributed to medical innovation and education. From 2005 to 2010, he served as a paid consultant to Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI), providing physician feedback for the development of a new generation of the KCI Wound V.A.C. system. He also played a key role in training hospital wound care and osteotomy nurses on the proper application of wound V.A.C. foam for diabetic foot wounds.

With a passion for helping patients regain mobility and improve their quality of life, Dr. Thomas remains committed to delivering the highest standard of medical and surgical care. His expertise spans conservative treatments, advanced wound management, custom prescription orthotics, and surgical interventions for a variety of foot and ankle conditions.

Through Southeast Foot Care, Dr. Thomas continues to expand access to specialized foot and ankle care, ensuring that patients receive personalized treatment plans that promote healing, comfort, and long-term foot health. His mission is to empower patients with knowledge, provide expert medical solutions, and restore mobility for individuals of all ages.

Professional Summary:

Board Certified podiatrist and foot surgeon with 25+ years of experience in diagnosing and treating various foot and ankle disorders.
Skilled at interpreting diagnostic tests including radiographs (x-ray), MRI, CT, noninvasive vascular studies, and blood/urine laboratory results to help diagnose disease and provide treatment for patients.
Skilled in podiatric medical and surgical procedures for a variety of soft tissue diseases and conditions of the foot including tumors, ganglions, neuroma, and lipomas.
Skilled in podiatric medical and surgical procedures, including reconstructive foot surgery, bunionectomies, hammertoe correction, and bone fracture open reduction internal fixation (ORIF).
Skilled in foot/ankle/leg wound care, sports medicine, biomechanics, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, sprains and dislocations.
Skilled in the management of conditions requiring foot orthotics, diabetic shoes, ankle braces, and ankle foot orthoses (AFOs)
Skilled in providing treatment for a variety of dermatological conditions such as ingrown toenails, verrucae (warts), calluses, and fungal toenails.
Skilled at evaluating, diagnosing, and treating the feet and legs of patients with diabetes, peripheral arterial/peripheral vascular disease (PAD/PVD), lymphedema, and identifying those individuals at high risk for lower limb amputation.
Prescribes appropriate medications as needed for alleviation of medical conditions of the foot and ankle.
Strong patient communication & education skills, proficient in electronic medical records (EMRs), Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and committed to delivering exceptional medical care.
Always adheres to HIPAA practice standards of patient confidentiality.
Strong communication with other specialists, and refers patients to specialists, clinics, and support services as appropriate.
Admits patients to San Antonio area hospitals as needed for both in-patient and out-patient surgeries.
Provides in-patient consultations for patients hospitalized with diabetic foot wounds and limb threatening infections requiring necessary and urgent surgery.
Attends continuing medical education (CME) educational programs and conferences to enhance professional growth and development, and to maintain Texas state medical re-licensure requirements.
Adheres to universal precautions and infection control standards of practice within the clinical setting.

Undergraduate Education:

University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Chemistry
Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Majored in Pre-Med
United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland - Majored in Physical Science

Medical School Education:

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (formerly Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine), Chicago, Illinois - Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biological Sciences, and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.)

Medical Residencies:

Primary Podiatric Medicine Residency: University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) and Audie Murphy VA Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas - July 1995 to July 1996

The UTHSC program was known at the time as being one of the best residency programs, if not the best program, in the country for limb preservation/limb salvage. One of the reasons this type of residency program was important to me was because when I was serving in the military, my grandfather, who was a World War I veteran, lost his limbs due to vascular disease. Serving as a resident at UTHSC gave me the opportunity to serve veterans at the Audie Murphy VA Medical Center. In honor of my grandfather, it was an honor and privilege to serve veterans at Audie Murphy VA Medical Center.
While at UTHSC, I was one of twelve residents who, along with the attending physicians of the UTHSC Podiatry Program, were responsible for the podiatric care of patients seen at UTHSC, Audie Murphy VA Medical Center, and Brady Green Downtown Clinic. Some of my resident duties included:
Performed duties of a 1st year resident, including assisting attending physicians in surgical procedures performed at UTHSC and Brady Green Downtown Clinic.
Participated in residency Grand Rounds (typically held most Wednesday mornings) with other podiatry residents, orthopedic residents, and vascular surgery residents, and participated in Journal Club where research articles from various peer reviewed journals were discussed among residents and attending physicians.
Obtained patients’ history and performed physical examinations of the foot and ankle/lower extremity for new and established patients seen in the UTHSC emergency room and Brady Green Downtown Clinic.
Performed surgery with San Antonio area podiatric surgeons in various hospitals and outpatient surgical facilities.
Rotated among other medical specialists, including dermatology, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and family practice, where I gained invaluable experiences in medical management of patients’ health problems encountered daily in those specialties. This is where I initially learned the team approach in the health care management of patients.
Responsible for medical and surgical care of Veteran patients in the Audie Murphy VA Medical Center, provided podiatry care to Veteran patients in local San Antonio outpatient VA clinics, and helped provide podiatry care to Veterans in other VA clinics further south in Texas.
Performed a month-long clinical rotation in the state of Montana, where I assisted one of the UTHSC attending podiatrists in providing podiatric surgical and medical care to several patients on the Native American Reservations in Montana.

Podiatric Surgical Residency: Southwestern General Hospital, El Paso, Texas - July 1996 to July 1997

I was the only resident in the residency program that had over ten El Paso area attending podiatric surgeons, in additional to several visiting podiatric surgeons from Texas and New Mexico, who provided instruction on very complicated surgical cases including clubfoot correction, endoscopic plantar fasciotomies, and foot fracture repair.
Performed duties of a 2nd year surgical resident, including performing and/or assisting in over 750 surgical procedures during the 12 month long surgical residency.
Participated in residency Grand Rounds and Journal Club where research articles from various peer reviewed journals were presented and discussed with attending physicians.
Performed surgery with El Paso area podiatric surgeons in various hospitals and outpatient surgical facilities.
Rotated among other medical specialists, including emergency department, pediatric orthopedics, plastic surgery, and internal medicine where I gained invaluable experience in medical and surgical management of patients’ health problems encountered daily in those specialties. This gave me an even greater appreciation of the team approach in the health care management of patients.

Clinical Experience and Work History:

Owner, Podiatrist, & Foot Surgeon of Private Medical Practice, San Antonio, Texas - October 1997 to Present

Performs complex hospital-based surgical procedures, including reconstructive foot surgery, bunionectomies, hammertoe corrections, resection of bone spurs, Achilles tendon repair, foot fracture repair, incision & drainage of infected lower extremities, debridement of wounds of the foot/ankle/lower leg, and lower extremity amputations.
Performs routine office-based surgical procedures, including removal of warts, ingrown toenails, fungal toenails, and skin lesions.
Provides diagnostic evaluation and treatment for various foot and ankle disorders.
Manages post-operative care and rehabilitation.
Manages wound care and lower extremity orthotic needs for patients' medical conditions.

CEO, Kurios Medical Supplies LLC, San Antonio, Texas - August 2020 to August 2022

Started a medical PPE (personal protective equipment) company based on my having been an end user of medical PPE supplies for the previous 22+ years as a physician and seeing the dwindling medical supplies in our country in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Started the PPE company during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing a need to be able to not only help acquire medical supplies for my own medical practice to be able to continue serving patients, but also saw a need to be able to help others who needed PPE supplies as well.

Consultant, Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI), San Antonio, Texas - Jan 2005 to Dec 2010

Provided physician feedback in development of a newer version of the KCI Wound V.A.C and provided instructions to hospital wound & osteotomy nurses in proper application of wound V.A.C. foam to wounds on feet and toes.

Podiatrist and Wound Specialist, Southwest General Hospital Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center, San Antonio, Texas - January 2000 to December 2010

Worked directly with two of the facility’s Medical Directors in managing chronic foot, ankle, and leg wounds of diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Podiatrist and Wound Specialist, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center, San Antonio, Texas - March 2015 to December 2016

First podiatrist to work as a wound specialist at the newest hospital Hyperbaric and Wound Care Center in the city of San Antonio since it first opened.
Worked directly with two of the facility’s Medical Directors in managing chronic foot, ankle, and leg wounds of diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Academic Appointments

Clinical Assistant Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), San Antonio, Texas - January 1998 to December 2008

Provided teaching and surgical instruction to residents of the UTHSC podiatry residency program, allowing them to assist in surgery that I performed in area hospitals in San Antonio.

Certifications and License

Diplomate, American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery Certified in Foot Surgery: July 2014 - Present
Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery Certified in Foot Surgery: September 2007 - July 2014
Licensed to Practice Podiatry in the State of Texas: July 1996 - Present

Fellowships

Fellow, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons - September 2024 - Present

Clinical Research

Clinical Investigator, Wyeth-Ayerst Diabetic Foot Ulcer Study Methodist Hospital - San Antonio, Texas January 2002
Residency Research: Rationale and Benefits of Closing Base Wedge Osteotomy vs. Opening First Cuneiform Osteotomy for High Intermetatarsal Angle Reduction: A Retrospective Study - Southwestern General Hospital El Paso, Texas, January 1997
Residency Research: Ulcerative Lichen Planus: Long-Term Treatment with Shoe Gear Modification University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas - Audie Murphy VA Medical Center San Antonio, Texas, January 1996

Publications

PerMedhist: An Important and Easy-to-Use Handbook for Recording Your Personal Medical History, Thomas Wing Publishing, 1999

Non-Public Offices

Chairman, Judiciary Committee, Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Chicago, Illinois - August 1994 to May 1995

Reported directly to the Dean of Academic Affairs.
As a fourth year medical student, I served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee that included the Dean of Academic Affairs, Chairperson of the Department of Surgery, Chairperson of the Department of Medicine, and a student representative from each of the first year, second year, and third year medical school classes.
Responsible for overseeing any serious honor infractions (i.e., cheating on exams) that could potentially occur within the student body of the first through fourth year medical students.
Made recommendations to the Dean of Academic Affairs for any disciplinary actions involving students accused of honor infractions.

President, Student National Podiatric Medical Association, Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Chicago, Illinois - August 1993 to May 1994

Responsible for the organizational leadership of our school’s Student National Podiatric Medical Association.
Organized lectures given by physicians to the student body.
Provided leadership to our organization for spearheading the Student National Podiatric Medical Association’s conference for all seven podiatric medical schools held in Chicago, Illinois during my tenure.

Community Service

Volunteers as a science instructor in a math & science camp for middle and high school students.
Served for several years and continues to serve as a physician on the medical team for church youth retreats in the Texas Hill Country for middle school, high school, and college aged students.
Set up a shoe donation program in my office for a faith-based organization caring for some of the homeless populations in San Antonio.
Provide outreach and speaking engagements to community groups on foot health related topics.

Military Service

Midshipman - United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
Seaman Apprentice/Seaman United States Navy, Newport, Rhode Island