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Wellness Inspired by Heritage
Dr. Joycelyn R. Thomas is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, an Associate Teaching Professor, and the visionary founder of Thomas Heritage and Wellness Group: The Sankofa Practice. A native of Bremerton, Washington, Dr. Thomas has dedicated three decades to nursing, clinical research, and community-based healthcare leadership throughout the greater Seattle, Federal Way, and Tacoma regions.
Dr. Thomas earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees from the University of Washington, Seattle. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism & Equity in Nursing and the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Director at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Her extensive clinical background spans the entire continuum of life—from her foundational years as a Charge Nurse in labor and delivery and clinical maternal research to serving as an ARNP and a Medical Director in regional primary care clinics.
Driven by a global perspective on wellness, Dr. Thomas was an Afya Bora Consortium Fellow in Global Health Leadership in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where she spearheaded maternal health research evaluating the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist. Her clinical work and research are profoundly dedicated to eliminating healthcare disparities and improving patient-provider communication. Among her numerous honors, she has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, the DNP’s of Color Outstanding Faculty Award, and the National Compassion Award from CommonSpirit Health.
Dr. Thomas established The Sankofa Practice to bring healthcare back to its foundational roots—lifestyle, environment, and generational resilience. She views healthcare as a deeply personal partnership rooted in mutual respect, offering a welcoming medical home where every family member’s voice is prioritized and heard.