Office of Academic Affiliations

Jennifer Thompson, MD, MPH, MACO, FIDSA

2024 Karen M. Sanders, MD, Designated Education Officer of the Year Award Recipient

Jennifer Thompson, MD, MPH, MACP, FIDSA, is the Associate Chief of Staff for Education, Designated Education Officer (DEO), Network Academic Affiliations Officer for the Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS). Dr. Thompson is an accomplished DEO and master educator who has made significant contributions to the growth of health profession education (HPE) by expanding a Level 2 facility with a few training programs to a network with over 140 affiliation agreements, nine of which are Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. As an avid supporter of interprofessional training and learning collaboration, she facilitated collaboration on a Gastroenterology fellowship, received full accreditation for the program’s Podiatry Residency from the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, established the Advanced Fellowship in Healthcare Professionals Education Evaluation Research (HPEER) at OVAHCS, and started the Rural Faculty Development Initiative (RIFDI) in Orlando which resulted in the training and retention of clinical educators. In the past year, she facilitated the expansion of the Licensed Mental Health Counseling internship and established new Marriage and Family Therapy and Dietetic internships. In her service as a mentor, Dr. Thompson continues to develop and lead the next generation of academic leaders—many of whom have advanced into positions of leadership such an Infectious Disease physician who was selected for a 2024 VHA Innovation Ecosystem Fellowship and a Director of Medical Simulation who was selected for an MIT Catalyst Fellowship. She also developed a novel Certificate Program in Clinical Teaching and Program Administration course for newly minted academic leaders. Dr. Thompson’s influence in advocating for HPE extends into her membership on the National Academic Affiliations Council (NAAC) Diversity of Healthcare Workforce Subcommittee, which advises VHA leadership on matters affecting relationships between the VA and the health professions community, as well as her ongoing role with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) outreach events.

When joining VA, Dr. Thompson brought with her 20 years of experience in the Army, having retired as a Colonel and distinguished DEO at the largest military training consortium. Her commitment to service and dedication to VA’s education mission of training future health professionals for VA and the nation is a shining example of Veterans serving Veterans and her contributions to health professions education will be felt for years to come.