Tom Sherman (politician)

Tom Sherman, M.D. (b. October 31, 1957), is a gastroenterologist from Rye, New Hampshire, and a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[1] He represents Rockingham County and has been prominent in advocating for state-level implementations of the Affordable Care Act.

Medical career

Sherman is a licensed gastroenterologist and was Medical Staff President and board member of Fauquier Hospital in Virginia.[2] He has received multiple awards for his practice, including the Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award of the Washington University School of Medicine, the Internal Medicine Award of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and the James E. C. Walker Award University of the Connecticut School of Medicine. He was recognized by Castle Connolly's as one of their Top Doctors™ (2012–2013). He is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He graduated from the University of Connecticut Medical School in 1987.[3]

Political career

Sherman wrote an op-ed on Seacoastonline.com calling for the New Hampshire legislature to preserve Medicaid expansion so it would continue to cover drug treatment programs for individuals arrested for drug-related offenses.[4]

Sherman co-sponsored a bill to ban teenagers from patronizing tanning salons. The bill was passed into law by Governor Maggie Hassan in early June 2015.[5]

Sherman ran and was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives along with fellow Democrat David Borden for the Rockingham District 24 in 2012. He became a member of the Health, Human Services, & Elderly Affairs committee. He and Borden were reelected in 2014.

Sherman has been instrumental in leading state-level implementation of Medicare expansion under the New Hampshire Health Protection Program. As part of the legislature's Health, Human Services, & Elderly Affairs committee and as part of the general vote, he led a commission[6] and later voted for expanding Medicaid to 50,000 state residents.[7] The bill was passed into law by Governor Maggie Hassan on March 27, 2014.[8] As of October 14, 2014, over 20,000 New Hampshire residents had signed up to receive the expanded coverage.[9]

Sherman also supported legalizing the use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes, especially for patients medically diagnosed with terminal illnesses and serious conditions. He testified and voted for the medical provisions of the law in March 2013.[10] A law legalizing medical use of marijuana was subsequently passed and went into effect July 25, 2013.[11]

Sherman co-sponsored a bill that required hospital technicians to register with a board for health care workers who are not otherwise already licensed or registered and who have access to both drugs and patients. The bill (H.B. 658) also requires hospitals to report disciplinary actions to the board, which could perform its own investigations of wrongdoing.[12] The law went into effect October 1, 2014.[13]

Sherman was interviewed for his role in working for cancer prevention as a member of the Next Generation Choices Foundation in Seacoastonline.com on February 28, 2016.[14]

Philanthropy

Tom Sherman is a founding director of Next Generation Choices Foundation and chairman of the board of directors of LessCancer.org, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating the public about lifestyle changes that could reduce the potential for people to become afflicted with cancer.[15]

References

  1. "Representative Thomas Sherman (d)". New Hampshire House of Representatives. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  2. "LessCancer Board of Directors". LessCancer.org. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  3. "Dr. Thomas M. Sherman". Vitals.com. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. Sherman, Dr. Thomas M. (11/15/15). "Legislative delays on drug bill put lives at risk". Seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 16 November 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. Sullivan, Max (June 29, 2015). "Relay given new life". Seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. "Interview with David Borden and Dr. Thomas Sherman (Rye, Newcastle)". Seacoast Currents. Portsmouth Community Radio. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  7. Bookman, Todd (March 18, 2014). "House Committee Backs Medicaid Expansion". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. Rogers, Josh (March 27, 2014). "Hassan Signs Medicare Expansion". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  9. "N.H. Expanded Medicaid Tops 20,000 Enrollees". New Hampshire Public Radio. Associated Press. October 14, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  10. Cresta, Joey (March 8, 2013). "N.H. medical pot bill backed by Rye state rep., physician Tom Sherman". Seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  11. "New Hampshire Becomes 19th State to Legalize Medical Use Of Marijuana". NORML.org. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  12. Stevens, Rik (August 7, 2014). "Hepatitis outbreak drives change in New Hampshire". Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  13. Hanna, Katherine M.; Gregoire, Jason D. (October 21, 2014). "New law grew out of response to Exeter Hospital Hepatitis C outbreak". New Hampshire Public Radio. Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  14. Dandurant, Karen (February 28, 2016). "Can cancer be prevented?". Seascoastonline.com. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  15. "Less Cancer Board of Directors". LessCancer.org. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
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