Jeffrey Thompson

Dr. Jeff Thompson is the former CEO of Gundersen Health System, a pediatrician, and the author of Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community.  In his fourteen years as CEO of Gundersen Health System, Dr. Thompson was responsible for improving quality, lowering cost and advancing care into the community. He served a staff of seven thousand, hundreds of thousands of patients, and yearly spent a billion dollars of the community’s money. His long experience as an intensive care pediatrician and senior executive has shown him how leading from one’s values can affect tremendous lasting change.  During Dr. Thompson’s tenure, Gundersen Health System developed an energy program that decreased GHGs by 95%, decreased hazardous pharmaceutical wastes by 98% and did those in a fashion that decreased the cost of care and improved the local economy. Gundersen was repeatedly recognized nationally for excellence in quality and cost effectiveness. It has earned Healthgrades highest honors: America’s 50 Best Award for 2012 through 2016. In 2015 he received the Practice Green Health Visionary Leader Award and was the only US provider to speak in the Blue Zone at the Paris Climate talks.  Dr. Thompson received the White House Champions of Change award in 2013.