Today’s guest is Lieutenant Colonel Amy Thompson, the Division Surgeon for the 101st Airborne Division. The 101st Airborne Division is one of the Army’s most storied units, having played critical roles during World War II on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and other history changing moments. The 101st is currently located at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, but its units are deployed all around the world.
LTC Thompson is a board-certified pediatrician with a fellowship in adolescent medicine, focused on young adults. As she notes in the podcast, more than half of the Army is under 25, so her specialty is actually perfect for her mission of taking care of soldiers. As you listen to LTC Thompson’s story, I think you will be struck by the level of commitment she has demonstrated to her mission of taking care of soldiers, volunteering to serve in challenging and dangerous environments when she could easily choose to remain in a hospital or clinic. In the podcast the themes of mission, service, and endurance repeat, and we conclude with a discussion of servant leadership.
Links to the Podcast:
Time Topic
0:01:44 Pre-Med/Biology at UC Berkley0:04:55 medicine to make a difference
0:06:30 joining the Army - ROTC
0:08:55 HPSP scholarship for medical school
0:12:47 Kansas City University of Biosciences and Medicine
0:15:16 choosing pediatrics
0:16:53 pediatrics residency at Madigan Army Medical Center
0:19:14 developing the physician identity
0:20:29 chief of pediatrics at Ft. Irwin
0:26:17 impact of having children on being a pediatrician
0:27:34 fellowship in adolescent medicine
0:30:50 volunteering for first deployment to Afghanistan - battalion surgeon
0:37:13 reflecting on deployment on her development as an officer and military physician
0:38:44 Brigade Surgeon, Ft. Riley, Kansas
0:42:21 second deployment - Kuwait
0:43:34 planning medical support
0:45:26 staff time at the Defense Health Agency
0:51:05 101st Airborne Division
0:53:26 planning for medical support of the division
0:55:45 roles of care
0:56:57 coordinating higher levels of care in support of division
0:59:26 planning for non-battle injuries and disease
1:03:27 planning for 100,000 visits/year
1:08:35 most gratifying aspect of practice of medicine
1:11:13 managing careers as a dual military couple
1:15:42 leadership philosophy
1:17:22 leadership role models
1:21:42 mentors for her
1:24:06 being a mentor to others
1:25:49 what does she look for in a leader
1:28:40 a book recommendation for early careerists
1:31:01 why military medicine
Links to Topics Discussed
101ST AIRBORNE
Kansas City University of Biosciences and Medicine
Madigan Army Medical Center
THE NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER AND FORT IRWIN
U.S. ARMY FORT RILEY
Defense Health Agency
Roles of Medical Care
THE STORY OF SPC ROSS A. MCGINNIS
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