Biography

Thomas L.H. Hocker, M.D., M.Phil., is the Founding Director of Dermatologic Surgery at University Health and the UMKC School of Medicine. He is one of fewer than 30 physicians worldwide triple board-certified in dermatology, dermatopathology, and Mohs micrographic surgery—and the first African-American male in U.S. history to achieve this distinction.

Dr. Hocker is a Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic-trained surgeon specializing in Mohs surgery for melanoma and expert aesthetic reconstruction following skin cancer treatment. He has performed more than 23,000 Mohs surgery cases, including more than 2,400 melanoma cases—a volume placing him among the top Mohs surgeons worldwide for melanoma treatment.

Dr. Hocker grew up in San Jose, California, and was recruited to Yale University, where he became an Ivy League champion and Academic All-American in track and field. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Churchill Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge, where he earned his M.Phil. in Organic Chemistry.

At Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hocker graduated with honors for his melanoma genetics research with Dr. Hensin Tsao at Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed his dermatology residency at Mayo Clinic, where he was named the Harold O. Perry Most Outstanding Scholar—a distinction awarded only three times in the preceding decade. He completed his dermatopathology fellowship at the University of Michigan, one of the nation's top melanoma centers, and returned to Mayo Clinic for his Mohs micrographic surgery fellowship, training under the foremost experts in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Hocker co-authored Review of Dermatology—now the #1 bestselling dermatology textbook on Amazon. His 2024 research introduced the Tolkachjov-Hocker technique for complex nasal reconstruction. He has been recognized as an Ingram's Top Doctor (2025), Castle Connolly Top Doctor (2024, 2025), and Iron Surgeon lecturer at the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery—an honor reserved for masters of aesthetic reconstructive surgery.

In addition to his academic role, Dr. Hocker maintains a private practice at Advanced Dermatologic Surgery in Overland Park, Kansas—the nation's highest-volume private practice for Mohs melanoma surgery. Patients travel nationally and internationally for complex skin cancers requiring expert aesthetic reconstruction.