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About me

Location	Versoix, Switzerland
Introduction	Dick Thompson was the Team Leader for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic and Outbreak Communication Unit until he retired in August 2007. He has trained journalists and officials from Ministries of Health from over 100 countries. He managed WHO's communication during SARS. He also directed the year-long process that resulted in WHO's "Best Practices" for Communicating with the Public During an Outbreak". He has provided direct communication guidance to governments during public health crises. Prior to joining WHO, Dick Thompson was a science and medicine correspondent for Time Magazine. For 16 years, he reported out of the Washington, D.C. bureau which gave him extensive experience in U.S. politics and policy. He also reported from several conflict areas including Afghanistan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Dick Thompson was a Vannevar Bush Teaching Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of the non-fiction book on predictive volcanology called "Volcano Cowboys" (St. Martin's Press 2000). He currently resides in Switzerland and is available for special consulting projects.

Location

Versoix, Switzerland

Introduction

Dick Thompson was the Team Leader for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic and Outbreak Communication Unit until he retired in August 2007. He has trained journalists and officials from Ministries of Health from over 100 countries. He managed WHO's communication during SARS. He also directed the year-long process that resulted in WHO's "Best Practices" for Communicating with the Public During an Outbreak". He has provided direct communication guidance to governments during public health crises. Prior to joining WHO, Dick Thompson was a science and medicine correspondent for Time Magazine. For 16 years, he reported out of the Washington, D.C. bureau which gave him extensive experience in U.S. politics and policy. He also reported from several conflict areas including Afghanistan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Dick Thompson was a Vannevar Bush Teaching Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of the non-fiction book on predictive volcanology called "Volcano Cowboys" (St. Martin's Press 2000). He currently resides in Switzerland and is available for special consulting projects.