Ronald G. Tompkins (1951 – January 17, 2022) was an American physician and academic. He served as Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Surgery at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

and chief of Surgery, Science and Bioengineering at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

’s (MGH) Division of Surgery. He was also the founding director of The Institute for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (MGH surgery division) and of the Center for Engineering in Medicine & Surgery at MGH.

Early life and education

Tompkins was born in

Many, Louisiana Many () is a town in, and the parish seat of Sabine Parish in western Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,853 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 36 or 1.246% from 2000. History The site where Many currently sits was originally a Belg ...

to Horace and Ruby Elizabeth Tompkins, a teacher. He became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

in 1966. He earned his B.A. in chemistry in 1972, before completing an M.D. at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

. He went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate in chemical engineering in 1983, from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Career

Tompkins completed his surgery residency at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and joined the surgical faculty at MGH in 1987. In 1990 he became Chief of Staff at

Shriners Hospitals for Children Shriners Hospitals for Children, commonly known as Shriners Children's, is a network of non-profit children's hospitals and other pediatric medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord inj ...

in Boston. He served in that role and as Chief of Trauma and Burn Services at MGH for 22 years. He served as the Chief Medical Officer at the

Open Medicine Foundation The Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is a US-based charity that funds research into the illnesses myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and long COVID. History The OMF w ...

(OMF) and was co-director of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Collaboration at the Harvard-Affiliated Hospitals sponsored by OMF.

Death

Tompkins died unexpectedly on January 17, 2022, aged 70.Ronald "Ron Tompkins
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Ronald G. 1951 births 2022 deaths Physicians from Louisiana American surgeons Harvard Medical School faculty People from Many, Louisiana Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome