Holly N. Thomas, MD, MS

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine and Clinical & Translational Science
  • Director, Leadership and Discovery Program, UPMC Internal Medicine Residency
  • Director, Comparative Effectiveness Track, Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE)
Academic Interests

Dr. Thomas is a primary care physician trained in internal medicine, with specialized training in women's health. She enjoys caring for adult patients of all ages. H er women's health training has given her particular expertise in menopause, osteoporosis, breast cancer screening, gynecologic issues, and more. she takes pride in providing holistic, evidence-based care for patients across the gender spectrum. Dr. Thomas also has an interest in primary care of LGBTQ patients.

Dr. Thomas seeks to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary, patient-centered clinical research that will improve the health and quality of life of women across the lifespan. In particular, she is interested in understanding the physical and psychosocial factors that contribute to menopause symptoms and using this understanding to develop effective behavioral health interventions. Improving the quality of care and reducing disparities for women within primary care settings is another focus of her research. She additionally studies mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of common problems, such as chronic pain and sexual dysfunction.

Dr. Thomas enjoys teaching and mentoring learners from the undergraduate level to post-doctoral fellows. Her teaching efforts focus on primary care, women's health, and clinical research.

    Education & Training

  • BA, Renaissance Studies, Yale University, 2005
  • MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2009
  • Internal Medicine Internship, UCLA Medical Center, 2010
  • Internal Medicine Residency, UCLA Medical Center, 2012
  • General Internal Medicine Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh / VA Pittsburgh Health System, 2014
  • MS, Clinical Research, University of Pittsburgh, 2014
Recent Publications

Thurston RC, Thomas HN, Castle AJ, Gibson CJ. Menopause as a biological and psychological transition. Nature Reviews Psychology. 2025 Jun 20:1-4.

Thomas HN, de Cameron F, Yabes J, Brotto L, Thurston RC. A pilot randomized controlled trial of a virtual, group-based mindfulness intervention for midlife and older women with low libido. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2023;20(8):1060-1068.

Thomas HN, Hamm M, Krishnamurti T, Hess R, Borrero S, Thurston RC. "How much desire should I have?": A qualitative study of low libido in postmenopausal women. J Women Aging. 2022;34(5):659-57.

Merriam S, Kling JM, Thomas HN, Casas RS. Female sexual dysfunction: a primer for primary Care Health professionals. MedEdPORTAL. 2023 Apr 25;19:11312.

    Honors and Awards
  • Fellow, NIH OBSSR Summer Institute on Behavioral Clinical Trials, 2016
  • Highest Rated Abstracts, The Menopause Society, 2016, 2019
  • NAMS/Fernand Labrie Vaginal and Sexual Health Award for Junior Investigators, The Menopause Society, 2019
  • LUMA Certified Human Centered Design Practitioner, 2022
  • NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner, 2022
  • David E. Rogers Junior Faculty Education Award for Outstanding Clinical Workshop, Society of General Internal Medicine, 2023
  • Associate Editor, Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2020-present
  • Editorial Board, Menopause, 2021-present
  • Board of Trustees, The Menopause Society, 2022-present
  • Member, Women and Medicine Commission, Society of General Internal Medicine, 2023-present