Jess Thompson, MD, MS
A native Arizonan, Jess Thompson, MD, MS, returned to his home state in 2020 in order to become a partner of Yavapai Cardiac Surgery. His surgical practices concentrates on complex valvar, aortic, and coronary revascularization procedures. He also has sub-specialty training in congenital heart surgery.
Spending almost 25 years in academic medicine provides Dr. Thompson with access to the most cutting-edge information, technology, and procedures.
Dr. Thompson graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. His fields of study were microbiology and Italian. He then attended the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. During medical school he was twice voted as student body president.
Dr. Thompson completed his surgical residency at The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. He was the first house officer to matriculate in their combined general surgery – cardiothoracic surgery pathway. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Thompson obtained a master’s degree from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medical Education, with an emphasis on clinical research.
Jess Thompson MD, MS
He then spent one year at Texas Children’s Hospital as their first accredited fellow in congenital heart surgery. Dr. Thompson then returned to Arizona. As a member of the surgical faculty at the University of Arizona, Tucson, he helped develop the neonatal heart surgery program. He was also active in thoracic organ transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. In addition to mentoring a number of medical and undergraduate students, Dr. Thompson served as the program director of the cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. He also served as the medical director of the Perfusion Sciences program.
Dr. Thompson was then recruited to the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his arrival, The Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma was ranked in the lowest tercile for the number of pediatric cardiothoracic cases performed. At his departure, the hospital was considered a high-volume program. He served as the surgical director for the mechanical circulatory support program and as surgical course director for the medical students. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Thompson has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors in recognition of his clinical performance, educational activities, and research achievements.
Dr. Thompson is excited to be able to return to Arizona as a partner of Yavapai Cardiac Surgery. At Yavapai Regional Medical Center, he serves as chair of quality improvement for the cardiovascular service line. In this capacity his goal is to maintain the highest standards for quality and process improvement. Nationally, he holds leadership positions in cardiothoracic professional organizations. He enjoys outdoor activities, triathlon, and the Italian Renaissance. He is blessed with five children, and a wife (who is the glue that holds everything together).