An announcement from Dr. Michael Avidan, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology:
It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Douglas Thompson has accepted the inaugural role as Director of Anesthesiology Education for the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University. In this important new leadership role, he will endeavor to improve all educational domains in our department, with a focus on students, trainees, staff, and faculty in order to elevate our department even further and to ensure that we continue to grow as a preeminent academic anesthesiology department.
Dr. Thompson joined our department in July of 2017 as the Associate Residency Program Director. He ascended to the Residency Program Director role in July of 2018, a position he has held for the past two years, and a role he will continue to fulfill in addition to his new leadership responsibilities within the department. Dr. Thompson has established himself as a strong leader in the educational sphere both within our department and Washington University School of Medicine more broadly. Dr. Thompson was elected this past year to the prestigious Washington University Academy of Educators and continues to elevate our residency training program as one of the top anesthesiology training programs in the country.
In this new role, Dr. Thompson will oversee the educational programs within the department as well as departmental educational initiatives across Washington University. He will explore opportunities to elevate the profile of the Anesthesiology Department within the institution by partnering with leaders in other departments and by consolidating and building new relationships with educators on the Danforth Campus, the School of Medicine, and the Goldfarb School of Nursing.
Dr. Thompson will serve as a resource and mentor to our department’s education leaders. He will ensure we create an environment that places value on and helps develop educational programs both within and beyond our department. He will work with business administration leaders to develop annual budgets for departmental education programs, and advise on educational initiatives and necessary infrastructure support. Dr. Thompson will Interact with the Academy of Educators and other Washington University educational leaders to develop and promote educational programs, identify best practices, and explore interprofessional education, building upon those initiatives that already exist in the undergraduate school, graduate school, and nursing school. He will further develop processes and technology for robust faculty and trainee feedback and performance, as well as evaluation of current educational curricula both here and abroad. One of Dr. Thompson’s first responsibilities in his new role will be to recruit an expert in tertiary education, who will partner with him in creating innovative, disruptive, and learner-centered education initiatives.
A major priority for Dr. Thompson will be to promote and emphasize diversity and inclusion in all our educational endeavors. He and other educators will specifically attempt to broaden our training programs to welcome those from under-represented and marginalized groups. He will also work collaboratively with leaders in the department and the institution to create an anesthesiology department and a medical school that better reflects the broad society we serve.
In addition, Dr. Thompson will develop and refine the faculty education portfolios as a means of monitoring contributions to our department’s educational mission and identifying exceptional performance. He will oversee faculty development activities in the education realms. He will also promote institutional and national opportunities for members of our department to develop as recognized education leaders in anesthesiology.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Thompson on his appointment as Director of Anesthesiology Education in our department.
Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCASA
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology
Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiologist-in-Chief, Barnes-Jewish Hospital