Professional background

After more than twenty-five years in my native New England, I got in the car and headed west in 1999 to begin medical school in California. All clichés aside about life being a journey rather than a destination, I arrived in the Bay Area 7541 miles later, having swum in Lake Superior, forded the mighty Mississippi at its diminutive source in Minnesota, stargazed in the Badlands of South Dakota, and spent a birthday watching thunderstorms roll across the orange hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in Utah.

My journey to medicine followed a similarly scenic route. During my undergraduate years at Harvard, I was an anthropology major studying Greek and Roman history and culture and planning to become an archaeologist. I also served as president of the Harvard Outing Club, leading backcountry adventures through all sorts of weather and terrain. Wanting to be a more responsible trip leader, I signed up for a spring break wilderness medicine course offered on campus--and was completely surprised by how captivated I was by the subject. I went on to complete my medical school admissions requirements after graduation, balancing night school courses with several daytime jobs. 

After an editorial assistantship at New England Journal of Medicine, many volunteer sessions at children’s oncology camps, and medical school, internship, and a graduate degree in clinical epidemiology at Stanford, I continued north to Oregon and completed two residencies at Oregon Health & Science University, in Public Health & Preventive Medicine and in Family Medicine.

But it was becoming a patient--and facing a series of rare and life-threatening pregnancy complications during and just after residency--that ultimately led me to focus on supporting the health of women and families in my clinical practice. 

Training & certifications

EDUCATION

Undergraduate: Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology (cum laude))

Medical school & Master’s of Science in clinical epidemiology: Stanford University

Internship: Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Residencies: Oregon Health & Science University (Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Family Medicine)

Lactation certification: Portland Community College

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE & CERTIFICATION

National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, Diplomate of Family Medicine and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine (2017 - present)

Oregon Medical Board, Physician License (2006 - present)

American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), Board Certification (2013 - 2020)

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Board Certification (2011 - 2022)

American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), Board Certification (2011 - 2018)

California Medical Board, Physician License (89175) (2004 - 2006)

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) (1995 - 2002)

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B), National Registry and New Hampshire/Maine (1995 - 2002)

National Ski Patrol Winter Emergency Care Technician (1995 - 2002)

Service

In my clinical practice, I enjoy collaborating with individuals and families to support wellness and to offer guidance in times of illness or injury. My strongest academic interests include preventive care, fertility support, pregnancy loss issues, obstetrics, nutrition, and wilderness and travel medicine. I am trained as a lactation consultant and relish helping families navigate the everyday as well as the more complex challenges of infant feeding, whether by breast or bottle or both. I have worked at busy multi-site community clinics, attending hospital deliveries and providing full-spectrum primary care from birth to death, as well as at a private obstetrics practice, where I have focused on well-woman care, sexual health, and prenatal care, and in telemedicine, offering real-time consult services to individuals with limited access to nearby medical care. My current practice focuses on supporting community sporting events, such as with local running clubs and Special Olympics, at volunteer medical stations while mentoring clinicians in training.

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"Dr. Thompson, I can never thank you enough for your support and encouragement during my pregnancy and into my journey as a parent. Not only medically, but more importantly, emotionally. Having your guidance and reassurance has helped me acknowledge my abilities as a parent, while being able to learn from my mistakes. You've helped me remember that I too am important. This is a beautiful gift in itself." Clinic patient KW