Lester D.R. Thompson, MD is Chief of the Head and Neck Pathology Division in the Department of Pathology at Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Woodland Hills Medical Center, Woodland Hills, California. He is the author of the highly regarded Head and Neck Pathology, 3rd Edition, a volume in the Foundations in Diagnostic Pathology series.
Born in Rhodesia, Dr. Thompson immigrated to the United States in 1978. He earned a degree in business administration (emphasis in finance) at Washington Adventist University. Dr. Thompson then completed medical school at Loma Linda University while teaching anatomy to dental and physical therapy students and serving as social director for the class. After an orthopedic surgery internship, he completed an anatomic and clinical pathology residency at the University of California Los Angeles. At UCLA, under the direct influence of Drs. Yao Shi Fu and Dorothy Rosenthal, he developed a strong interest in head and neck pathology and in cytology.
After doing advanced training in cytopathology, Dr. Thompson and his wife spent six months traveling around the world, visiting 23 countries before joining the United States Navy (CAPT, MC, USNR). With triple board certification in pathology, he worked for a decade at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, developing a specific interest and expertise in pathology of the head and neck and endocrine organs. During this time, Dr. Thompson served as Chief of the Division of Otorhinolaryngic-Head & Neck Pathology; Chief, Division of Immunopathology; and Assistant Chairman, Department of Scientific Laboratories. He received the John Hill Brinton Award in 2001.
The author of more than 150 research papers, Dr. Thompson currently serves as the co-editor of Head and Neck Pathology; serves on the editorial boards of a number of peer reviewed scientific journals; teaches at national and international conferences; serves as an active member of a number of national and international societies; and collaborated on the World Health Organization’s books for head and neck and endocrine organs.
Dr. Thompson’s interests and hobbies include writing, traveling, weight lifting, stained glass, cake decorating, SCUBA, and time spent with his wife and cats.
