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Christian Messa UTMB faculty member pledges to establish
scholarship for medical students, distinguished chair in family medicine
GALVESTON, Texas — Dr. Barbara L. Thompson, professor and chair of the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Department of Family Medicine, has pledged to establish a distinguished chair in the department and a scholarship for the university’s medical students. Thompson’s commitments to create the Barbara L. Thompson, M.D., Endowed Distinguished Chair in Family Medicine and Barbara L. Thompson, M.D., Endowed Medical Scholarship are lead gifts for UTMB’s Family Matters campaign. This five-year, $25 million initiative allows UTMB employees and retirees to play a philanthropic role in the university’s future by making personal contributions in support of the institution’s patient care, education and research missions. The Family Matters initiative is also part of the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. Thompson said two of her colleagues who have been actively involved in the Family Matters campaign, Drs. C. Joan Richardson and Alvin L. LeBlanc, inspired her to support the initiative. Richardson, vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics and a member of the Family Matters Campaign Leadership Committee, pledged to establish an endowed chair in the Department of Pediatrics and to support UTMB’s M.D./Ph.D. combined degree program. LeBlanc, chair of the Family Matters campaign, associate dean emeritus for graduate medical education and former obstetrics/gynecology residency program director, contributed to the Faculty Distinguished Professorship in Obstetrics and Gynecology honoring Alvin L. LeBlanc, M.D., Harry M. Little Jr., M.D. and L. Charles Powell Jr., M.D. Thompson’s deep connection to UTMB also influenced her decision to give. “My entire career has been at UTMB, including medical school and residency,” said Thompson, the Sealy Hutchings and Lucille Wright Hutchings Professor and Chair. “I was a student member of the advisory committee that helped to form the Department of Family Medicine. I love UTMB as someone might love her home and family.” Thompson said she chose to attend the university because of its friendly atmosphere and focus on compassionate patient care. “My four years at UTMB as a medical student helped to establish my views of professionalism and care of patients that have remained a part of my life,” she said. As chair of family medicine, Thompson said she recognizes the vital role that endowed positions play in recruiting exemplary faculty to her department and to the university’s School of Medicine. “I know my gift will help future chairs make sure that the Department of Family Medicine is a strong and vibrant part of the institution and will be able to attract faculty who will help the institution achieve even greater accomplishments.” Thompson pointed to her parents’ strong educational beliefs — a conviction she shares — in influencing her to create the scholarship. “I think anything we can do to help students at this time with their overwhelming student debt is very important,” she said. “It is a much greater problem now than it was for me when I came to medical school in the late 1960s. My dad helped me cover my expenses, as did my mom in every way she could. Now, the expenses are so great that most families of modest means cannot afford to do it without loans.” Because of such financial stress, medical students who graduate with significant debt may be less likely to practice in medically underserved areas, where hospitals and clinics cannot offer salaries that are as competitive as those in major metropolitan areas, Thompson added. UTMB President John D. Stobo said that commitments by Thompson and others to the Family Matters campaign will significantly enhance the caliber of the university. “I am grateful that Dr. Thompson has chosen UTMB to receive this extraordinary gift, which reflects a lifetime of dedication, hard work, concern for others, vision and achievement on her part,” Stobo said. “I have often said that UTMB is an institution with a soul, and that is apparent in Dr. Thompson’s lasting commitment to our students and faculty.” Thompson earned her M.D. from UTMB in 1971 and completed the university’s family medicine residency program in 1974. That same year, she became a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice, receiving additional qualifications in geriatric medicine in 1987. She became interim chair of UTMB’s Family Medicine Department in 1996 and was appointed chair the following year. Thompson, who grew up in Amarillo, became assistant dean for faculty practice in 2002 and medical director of community-based clinics two years later. Thompson was appointed to the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine in 2003. The eight members of the academy, known as William Osler Scholars, are practicing UTMB faculty physicians selected by their colleagues for demonstrating exceptional patient-centered care, teaching medical students to practice such care and serving as role models for their peers. Thompson also serves on the board of directors of UTMB HealthCare Systems Inc., a nonprofit organization that acts as an HMO for special-needs populations. She has been acknowledged by her colleagues for making her patients feel like participants in their care and for championing patient access to health care. Dr. Alice A. O’Donell, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and fellow Osler Scholar, said, “Dr. Thompson still has the energy, commitment and enthusiasm for seeing and caring for patients that she had as a junior medical student. In some cases, she takes care of three generations of family members.” Thompson said she enjoys caring for people as much now as when she treated her first patient. “Through it all, the times I remember and the experiences I most value are those involving my patients and their families,” she said. “Whether in the family medicine clinic or the hospital or in their homes, the opportunity to be a part of their lives makes me know that I made the right decision to become a doctor.” UTMB |
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