Richard Thompson, Ph.D., played an integral role in so many aspects of our department. He co-founded our PhD in Administration-Health Services program in 1978. He taught classes for some of our early cohorts in the M.S. in Health Administration program. And he taught in our Health Services Administration Development program - which was the pre-curser to our Executive MSHA program.
Not only was he a visionary leader, but he inspired colleagues, students, administrators, and many others during his time at UAB, where his work stimulated new thinking and unique ideas.
“In the early days of this program we created a culture where the students were encouraged to work with one another on their academic papers and that wasn’t being done on a regular basis by many others,” said Myron Fottler, Ph.D., former director of the PhD in Administration-Health Services program.
Past HSA doctoral program directors: Top Row L/R - Hearld, Hernandez Bottom Row L/R - Duncan, Fottler, Thompson
Changing Health and Health Care
Today, all the programs Thompson touched are at peak performance. The MSHA program is #1 in the nation providing real-world education to each cohort in the Residential program and real-time education to seasoned directors in the Executive program. And the PhD program is improving health administration practice and policy through the generation and conduct of research in the management of health service organizations.
The students in each of these programs continue to develop an interdisciplinary foundation based on the active involvement of faculty members who are nationally recognized scholars in their field from a variety of industry disciplines.
Your Gift
Your generosity can help lighten a master’s or doctoral student’s financial burden and allow them to focus solely on their education. Make a difference in the lives of most deserving students by donating to the Dr. Richard Thompson Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Give Today
There is not a more fitting tribute to the man who dedicated his professional life to teaching, researching, and advancing health care. To give today, simply click the "Give Now" button below. To see more giving options, click the "Pledge Form" button to download a PDF.
For more information, contact Tom Giffin, senior director of development, by email at