About

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 have spent the majority of my career working in emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) and operational management roles within the English National Health Service (NHS), at provider, system and regional levels. I am currently employed as Head of EPRR for an NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) in the South East Region.

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 4,300 volunteers. I am also Chair of an academy governance committee and passionate about access to high-quality education.

In 2015 I completed a Master of Science in Crisis and Disaster Management, with a thesis focused on understanding what drives volunteer confidence in emergency operations environments.
In October 2020 I commenced research as a PhD student with UCL’s Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction. My research sits in the cross-section between disaster science, climate change and health systems. You can read more about this on my Projects page.

I am a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, the oldest learned society for Disaster Risk Reduction, having recently served a two-year stint as Vice-Chair. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. I am also a Steering Committee member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction (UKADR).

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

indulging in science fiction literature;
immersing in a television documentary;
or spending time in my local powerlifting gym.

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.