Chad Thompson, M.D., Joins Honors Program Faculty as Clinical Assistant Professor of Pre-Health Education

The Honors College is pleased to announce the appointment of Chad Thompson, M.D., as Clinical Assistant Professor of Pre-Health Education, beginning March 1, 2025. In this new role, Dr. Thompson will mentor Honors College pre-health students and lead courses on population health while bridging Baylor’s long-standing partnership with Waco Family Medicine (WFM).

“Chad’s deep Christian faith infuses every part of his life and work,” Honors Program Director Elizabeth Corey, Ph.D., said. “I’m continually impressed by the commitment and intentionality he has brought to the planning of our new initiative with WFM. He manages both his clinical medical work and his teaching with grace, kindness, and humor.”

Thompson brings a wealth of experience to this role, combining his expertise in clinical medicine with a deep commitment to underserved communities. He has dedicated much of his career to healthcare work in low-income areas, living and serving in communities such as inner-city Memphis and Detroit. His experiences have shaped his approach to teaching, through which seeks to guide students in understanding the intersection of health, justice, and community.

“I felt drawn to medicine from an early age, a path I chose after experiencing personal and family illness and loss,” Thompson said. “I understood as a patient the sacred vocation of attending to another in a time of vulnerability and saw medicine as a way to serve others and live out my Christian faith, namely, to love God and love my neighbor as myself.”

Moreover, the addition of Thompson to the faculty supports key commitments of Baylor in Deeds, the university’s strategic plan. Two such commitments are the development of cutting-edge academic learning opportunities that prepare students for their chosen professions, and the development of a strong sense of community and mutual learning in partnership with the Waco community. To fulfill in part the bold aims of Baylor in Deeds, the Honors College has a two-pronged initiative aimed at its pre-health and pre-med students. One is to establish a Health and Medicine Fellows Program marked by Christian justice and mercy. The other is to initiate a clinical internship agreement with WFM for pre-health students. Thompson will provide substantial leadership for both.

“Through this clinical role, I will continue working at Waco Family Medicine, caring for patients and teaching residents, facilitating avenues for student engagement and mentorship from healthcare practitioners committed to the mission of caring for the underserved,” Thompson said.

In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Thompson will teach two pre-health first-year seminars in the fall and one population health course each spring, helping students explore the complexities of healthcare in the context of a world in which striking gaps arise between those who have and don’t have insurance and other support structures to address medical needs. He hopes to enable students to cultivate a Christian imagination for the innovative work needed to care for the vulnerable, especially within healthcare systems that often exclude or limit access to care.

“The medical care an individual receives is important in shaping health outcomes, but likely 80% of the variation in premature mortality is due to non-medical drivers of health such as economic stability, neighborhood, built environment, policy, and access to healthy food, education, and housing,” Thompson said. “I look forward to the interdisciplinary opportunities to collaborate with colleagues on the intersection of these medicine issues and to help pre-health students grapple with the complex realities they will face while accompanying their suffering neighbor.”

Thompson’s appointment also marks the continuation of Baylor's rich history of collaboration with WFM, founded in the late 1960s to address primary care shortages in underserved communities. Dr. Thompson aims to further develop engaged learning opportunities for students, allowing them to serve the Waco community through accompaniment, community engagement, service, and advocacy.

“My hope is that Baylor students will start with the city that many will live in for at least four years and choose to do the important work of learning from, belonging to, and loving the Waco community,” Thompson said. “Perhaps some will stay and commit to seeking the flourishing of their neighbors through their work in health care.”

The Honors College is thrilled to welcome Dr. Thompson to its faculty and looks forward to his contributions in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.