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JACKSON, Miss. – State Health Officer Dr. F.E. "Ed" Thompson died recently after a long battle with cancer. He was 62 years old.

Dr. Thompson served as State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) from 1993 to 2002 and was named Interim State Health Officer in July 2007. He was later reappointed to the permanent position of State Health Officer in December 2007. Dr. Thompson also served as State Epidemiologist from 1983 to 1993.

In an emergency Mississippi State Board of Health meeting, State Epidemiologist and Deputy State Health Officer for Medicine and Science Dr. Mary Currier was unanimously appointed Interim State Health Officer effective immediately.  The Board resolution naming Dr. Currier Interim State Health Officer states that Dr. Currier will have the full authority of the State Health Officer position, as provided by law, until such time as the Board takes further action. The Board will discuss the process of searching for a permanent replacement at its regularly scheduled January meeting.

During the October 2009 Mississippi State Board of Health meeting, the Board unanimously adopted a resolution requesting that the legislature name the new public health laboratory the “F. E. Thompson, Jr.  Public Health Laboratory.”

 “The loss of Dr. Ed Thompson this morning is a great tragedy for our state. We've lost a gifted and extraordinary leader in his prime, who still had much to contribute. His seasoned leadership of the department during two critical time periods should be remembered with appreciation by the state's citizens,” said Mississippi State Board of Health Chairman Dr. Lucius “Luke” Lampton.

 “On behalf of the Board and the Mississippi State Department of Health, I want to express our extraordinary sadness and extend our deepest sympathies and most sincere regrets to his wife and children. The Board and Dr. Thompson prepared for this sad day and the Department will continue to operate smoothly, despite this irreplaceable loss.”

Newly appointed Interim State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier said the agency has been extremely fortunate to have had the leadership of Dr. Ed Thompson for the past two and a half years.

“Public health was his passion; we at the agency, and the state as a whole, benefited from his knowledge and wisdom.
He was my mentor, I will miss him greatly, and my heart goes out to Dr. Thompson’s wife Marsha the rest of his family.”

Currier continued, “Through Dr. Thompson’s leadership, MSDH has made significant strides in addressing several key health concerns such as infant mortality, sexually transmitted diseases and increasing the number of public health field staff. He also played a key role in obtaining funding and starting the current construction of the new Public Health Laboratory.”

The National Association of Local Boards of Health recently recognized and awarded Dr. Thompson as the outstanding health officer in the United States. At its Joint Legislative Budget Committee, a resolution was passed commending and congratulating Dr. Thompson for the National Association of Local Boards of Health award.

Dr. Thompson is also the former Chief of Public Health Practice and Deputy Director for Public Health Services for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and served as a both a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases.

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