Dr.Sharon Thompson, DVM
Dr. Sharon Thompson is currently the Director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM). In this capacity, Dr Thompson is responsible for the initiation of outreach programs to Federal, State, academic and industry partners to enhance the College’s teaching, service and research programs, with a special focus on public health, preparedness and homeland security. She currently serves as the Agriculture Discipline Expert for the TN District 2 Homeland Security Council and serves on the Laboratory and Animal Health Advisory Board for the TN Department of Agriculture. She was an invited expert for a Department of Homeland Security review panel on risk-based modeling on the consequences of terrorism and potential countermeasures. Dr. Thompson was a lead member of the development team for the first DHS certified preparedness level course on agroterrorism developed by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training and is also a DHS Certified Instructor on agroterrorism. She is serving as a subject matter expert for the development of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, UC Davis DHS funded agroterrorism training programs. Dr. Thompson also holds an adjunct appointment in the UTCVM Department of Comparative Medicine.
Dr. Thompson has several funded projects underway related to agroterrorism including delivery of credentialing training for the State of TN; development and delivery of agroterrorism tabletop exercises; a vulnerability assessment project for agricultural sites in TN; and development and delivery of a week long foreign animal and emerging diseases course jointly with USDA. She has developed and delivered several training programs on animal disaster response in the State of TN. She has received a $2 million Competitive Training Grant from the Department of Homeland Security to develop and deliver nationally a course to train participants to conduct vulnerability assessments of agricultural and food processing facilities and to identify measures to harden these facilities from a potential attack. Dr. Thompson has a particular interest in using the tools of risk analysis to guide more effective decision-making at all levels of government.
Dr. Thompson received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia- Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and her bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard University. She is currently enrolled in the Masters of Public Health Program at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Thompson comes to UT from 12 years in the federal government in positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently, she was the Department of Health and Human Services liaison to the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research in Washington, D. C. Previously, she was the Associate Director for Veterinary Medical and International Affairs with the Center for Veterinary Medicine, US Food and Drug Administration. In this capacity, she was involved in the development of food safety policies and was responsible for the management of the Center’s international programs. Dr. Thompson has served as an invited expert for the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Codex Alimentarius, the Pan American Health Association, and several US federal agencies, including the US Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Homeland Security.