Reid C. Thompson, MD

Chair
Department of Neurological Surgery
William F. Meacham Professor of Neurological Surgery
Professor of Otolaryngology
Medical Center North
Room / Suite
T-4224
37232-2380
Clinic Phone
Appointment: (615) 322-7417
Fax
Fax: (615) 343-5315

Dr. Reid Thompson is the William F. Meacham Professor of Neurological Surgery, Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology at Vanderbilt Medical Center. He also holds a secondary appointment as Professor of Otolaryngology. His clinical interests are in all aspects of neurovascular surgery and brain tumor surgery, including skull base surgery.

Education:
Dr. Thompson received his M.D. degree in 1989 from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Postgraduate Training:
Dr. Thompson completed the Halsted Internship in General Surgery and Residency in Neurological Surgery between 1989 and 1995 at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by one year of service there as Advanced Clinical Instructor. He then completed a one-year fellowship in Cerebrovascular Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Research Training:
While at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Thompson received the Merck Foundation Medical Student Research Award for his study of the metabolism of the neuropeptide N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate. He also completed a neuro-oncology research fellowship while serving in the Hunterian Brain Tumor Research Laboratory at Johns Hopkins and received the NIH National Research Service Award.

Other Responsibilities:
Dr. Thompson is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and serves on the Joint Section of Cerebrovascular Surgery for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In his past positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the University of California, Irvine, and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Thompson has been an active lecturer and instructor.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Thompson's clinical interest is in all aspects of neurovascular surgery and brain tumor surgery, including skull base surgery.

Research Information

Current Research Interests:

  • Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy for detection of brain tumors.
  • Development of optical contrast agents for the detection of gliomas.
  • Cytokine enhanced antitumor immunotherapy for brain tumors.
  • Intra-operative thermal imaging of brain tumors and vascular malformations.
  • Molecular mechanisms of cerebral edema.
  • The role of the water channel aquaporin in brain edema.
  • Pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm.