Joe Thompson, MD, president emeritus of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, was honored recently with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
NNPHI’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals for “bold leadership, mentorship of public health institutes, and impactful careers in advancing public health,” according to the organization, which presented the award to Thompson at its annual conference in Minneapolis on June 10.
"Each and every day, our communities are safeguarded by public health efforts to mitigate risks and prevent disease,” Thompson said. “These efforts are made by individuals across the country who rarely get recognized, and NNPHI does an outstanding job supporting and promoting that work. No one understands better how vital public health work is, and that makes this recognition particularly gratifying.”
Thompson served as president and CEO of ACHI for 22 years before transitioning to his current role as president emeritus. He previously served as Arkansas surgeon general under Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee and Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe. Thompson has played an integral role in the development of many key health policies and programs in Arkansas, including the Clean Indoor Air Act, the statewide trauma system, and the state’s innovative approach to Medicaid expansion, now known as Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, or ARHOME.
In addition to serving in his current role as ACHI president emeritus, Thompson is a professor in the colleges of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a pediatrician. He earned a medical degree from UAMS and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
ACHI is a nonpartisan, independent health policy center that serves as a catalyst for “improving the health of all Arkansans through evidence-based research, public issue advocacy, and collaborative program development.”
Photo by Abdurahman Ali; courtesy of National Network of Public Health Institutes.