For the Academic Enrichment piece of my e-portfolio I interviewed Dr. Jonathan Thompson, a general surgeon at West Chester Hospital in Cincinnati. I had the opportunity to shadow him in practice back in high school and when I contacted him requesting an interview he was excited to participate.
Dr. Thompson received his undergraduate education at Miami University, majoring in microbiology and minoring in neuroscience. After that, he matriculated at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed his residency there as well. Today he still works with UC Health, working primarily in laparoscopic weight loss surgery.
Weight loss surgery has been a topic of controversy in recent years, but to Dr. Thompson, the US is facing an epidemic of obesity, and may people have gotten to a point in their obesity that is beyond where a diet an exercise program can be of help. Considering people’s busy lives, he aims to make the burden of losing weight easier by helping the morbidly obese to get to a point where they can do the rest themselves.
In addition to being a successful surgeon, Dr. Thompson also devotes time to working in biomedical engineering. He is a specialist in laparoscopic surgery and frequently uses the da Vinci surgical system (or as he calls it, the robot). He shares his expertise and issues with engineers with the goal of developing better, more user-friendly and longer-lasting surgical equipment.
Dr. Thompson is passionate and dedicated to his work and I thank him for his time.