[KAMHC 2014] How God uses ordinary people like us – Dr. David Thompson

Date: June 20, 2014

• Speaker: David Thompson, M.D.
• Source: KAMHC 2014
• Language: English
• Length: 54 Minutes 28 Seconds

 

Dr. David Thompson was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1948, but attended a mission school in Dalat, Vietnam for grades 1-11. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA and his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He trained for two years in general surgery at Mercy Hospital, in San Diego, California and also earned degrees in French and Tropical Medicine in France and Belgium. He later completed his training in general surgery at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles and served for a year as a surgical instructor at the VA Hospital in Loma Linda, California. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1985.

He and his wife moved to Lébamba, Gabon to develop a medical work among the poor. The couple laid the foundations for the Bongolo Hospital and started a school of nursing. They eventually helped develop the Bongolo Hospital into a 160 bed, full-service medical facility that majored in surgery, primary health care, and medical education.

At a meeting in Kenya in 1996, David and 12 other surgeons serving in Africa established the Pan- African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). Under David’s leadership, PAACS has grown into an international and interdenominational organization and has established formal, 5-year surgical residency programs at Christian hospitals in Gabon, Cameroon, Niger, Ethiopia, and Kenya that have been approved by the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA).

Since stepping down from the Executive Director’s role in 2005, David has served as the PAACS Director for Africa.