Dr. Ian Thomas, MD

Sports medicine physician, Battle Creek, MI

Dr. Thomas is a sports medicine physician and orthopedic interventionist who owns East Columbia Urgent Care & Orthopedics.

1250 E Columbia Ave, Ste B, Battle Creek, MI 49014

At a glance

Practice model

Physician-led urgent care

Insurance

Direct Care is not traditional insurance

Facts on this page last checked October 2026. How we check doctors

About Dr. Thomas

Dr. Thomas founded East Columbia Urgent Care & Orthopedics after returning to Michigan. He also owns Thomas Sports and Regenerative Orthopedics, his specialty practice for complex musculoskeletal conditions, sports medicine and regenerative medicine. He has cared for athletes from college and professional sports, as well as elite ice skaters, ballet dancers and gymnasts.

Before medicine, he spent over ten years coaching and working in strength and conditioning and men's gymnastics. He completed his medical training at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Mercy Lighthouse Family Medicine Residency and a sports medicine fellowship at Harvard Boston Children's Hospital.

He has served as a clinical assistant professor at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. He teaches point-of-care ultrasound to physicians in the United States and abroad. He also helped raise funding for ultrasound education for the Family Medicine Residency in Malawi.

Membership and fees

Direct Care at East Columbia Urgent Care is not traditional insurance and does not cover hospital or emergency department visits.

Services

Sports medicine Diagnostic ultrasound Regenerative medicine Chronic pain Complex musculoskeletal conditions Minimally invasive procedures Injury prevention Biomechanics Athletes Performing arts athletes

What family medicine doctors commonly treat

Education and credentials

Degree

College

BS in Biomolecular Science, University of Michigan (2014)

Graduate school

MS in Biomedical Science, University of Toledo (2015)

Medical school

University of Toledo College of Medicine

Residency

Mercy Lighthouse Family Medicine Residency

Fellowship

Sports medicine, Harvard Boston Children's Hospital

License

Michigan Verify with the Michigan Board of Medicine

NPI

1083241228

Location

1250 E Columbia Ave, Ste B, Battle Creek, MI 49014

East Columbia Urgent Care & Ortho practice page

Directions

Recognition and research

Awards

American Academy of Family Physicians Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education

First-place recognition through the AAFP Emerging Leaders Institute for his work developing ultrasound education

Teaching and research roles

Teaches point-of-care ultrasound to physicians nationally and internationally

Publications

"Periprosthetic Distal Femur Fracture after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review", Orthopaedic Surgery (2015)

Contributed to medical textbooks in sports medicine and point-of-care ultrasonography

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Questions patients ask

Where did Dr. Thomas train?

He completed his medical training at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Mercy Lighthouse Family Medicine Residency and a sports medicine fellowship at Harvard Boston Children's Hospital.