ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Alexander Thompson. Welcome to Thompson Thinks.

Established in 2020 amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Thompson Thinks is purposed at providing an outlet for narrative and discourse on the world of disaster management, climate change, and health. It's my way to try and write regularly by sharing my personal views and thoughts on a range of topics.

I commenced my career in this sector in 2016, within a national UK police force, having undertaken postgraduate study for a Master of Science in Crisis & Disaster Management.

In 2018 I transitioned from a world in blue to a world in… blue, and found my new home in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, where I am proud to still work today. I spent a number of years working in Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) eventually moving from the role of Head of EPRR to my present-day role of Head of the Regional Operations Centre for NHS England – South West.

In my career to date I have supported the response to a variety of major incidents, including tragedies such as the Croydon Tram Crash of November 2016, the Grenfell Tower Fire, the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outside the NHS, I volunteer with the nation’s leading health charity, St John Ambulance. I currently have the privilege of serving as the Regional Commissioner for the South East, leading the Regional Volunteer Leadership Network in delivering a high-quality experience for over 6,500 volunteers. I am also a school governor and highly passionate about access to high-quality education.

In October 2020 I commenced research as a PhD student with UCL’s Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction. My research focuses on the cross-section between disaster science, cascading hazards and health systems. My academic interests are broad, but I am particularly drawn to the way we create vulnerability in relation to future climate-disaster hazards, as well as how health systems prepare for and respond to cascading events.

I am a Fellow and Vice-Chair of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, the oldest learned society for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Outside of the world of disasters you are likely to find me:

singing sea shanties, drinking ale from a pewter tankard and wishing I was on a tall-ship sailing the seven seas;
in-front of the television with a tub of popcorn (or healthy alternative) and a Louis Theroux documentary;
or spending my time in a gym Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting.

I am always interested in expanding my network and would welcome anyone to get in touch to discuss collaborative opportunities.

The comments, views, and opinions in my blogs and publications are all my own unless clearly cited otherwise.