Changing the Face of Medicine
OB/GYN fellow Dr. Nicholas Tinker grew up in hardscrabble Alabama, played ’Bama football and now cares for high-risk mothers-to-be
By Bob Woods
Photograph by Jeffery Salter
OB/GYN fellow Dr. Nicholas Tinker grew up in hardscrabble Alabama, played ’Bama football and now cares for high-risk mothers-to-be
N
icholas Tinker, M.D., knows a thing or two about hard knocks. He comes from a small rural town outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “We didn’t have a lot of money,” he said. Neither of his parents graduated from high school, “but they knew the value of education” and made sure he and his older sister went to college.
Dr. Tinker attended the University of Alabama, where he was a pre-med major and walk-on running back for the fabled Crimson Tide football team. He only got a few carries, but the simultaneous rigors of playing for such a high-profile program and studying to go to medical school proved invaluable. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without that hard experience,” he said. “I learned how to be a team player and to fight through adversity, and I bring that to my life in medicine all the time.”
Dr. Tinker earned his M.D. at the University of South Alabama, where he also completed his residency in OB/GYN. His fellowship at the Miller School is in maternal fetal medicine, a field that reflects his upbringing. “I grew up as an African American in an underserved community where most people were oblivious to health care,” he said. Now he’s working at Jackson Memorial Hospital, caring for women with high-risk pregnancies — many of whom come from backgrounds similar to his — and receiving praise from OB/GYN residents for his teaching and mentorship.
“We can talk about health disparities and inequities all we want,” Dr. Tinker said, “but having actually been there, I know how difficult it is to break through that stigma. That’s why one of my goals is to change the face of medicine. Instead of me being an anomaly, I want my story to be a normal one.”
Dr. Tinker still roots for the Crimson Tide, but “I’ve also been a Hurricanes fan for years,” he admitted. And, the ball-carrier-turned-physician added, “I’ve never fumbled a baby.” 
