When Dr. Jeffrey J. Thompson, a graduate of the Houghton University Class of 2001, humbly agreed to be interviewed for the Houghton Magazine last year, he laughingly summed up his many roles in life with a quick alliteration: “I call it the three Ms:” Jeff said. “Music, ministry and medicine.”

Jeff graduated from Houghton with a major in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Music. A London Honors student in the Spring of 1998, Jeff found himself dividing his time between his dual passions for medicine and music. He sang with College Choir and was selected as a soloist for Handel’s Messiah, but he also served as president for the Sigma Zeta Math and Science National Honors Society.  He occasionally contributed articles to the Houghton STAR, served as a Junior Marshall at the 2000 Commencement ceremony, and represented the senior class as a senator in the Student Government Association.

Jeff completed his MD at SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2005, and completed his residency in the SUNY Buffalo Department of Emergency Medicine, including serving as Chief Resident of the Department of Emergency Medicine in his final year of residency.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Jeff also completed the Physician Educator Certification through University at Buffalo/Royal College of Physicians, and today is pursuing a Master’s Degree in medical education. Jeff serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo and treats patients in the emergency rooms at both Buffalo General Medical Center and Erie County Medical Center.

Jeff doesn’t limit his ministry to the classrooms and emergency rooms of Erie County, however.  He also serves as a medical missionary through World Medical Missions, teaching and training local physicians at Myungsung Medical College in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. Jeff also spends time each summer at Camp Cherith, a Christian summer camp here in Western New York.

So that’s the medicine and ministry parts of Jeff’s 3Ms. The third M of Jeff’s life is music – and Jeff has been a dedicated servant of God’s people as a church organist at Baker United Methodist Church in East Aurora since 2008.

Jeff is a dedicated and engaged Houghton alumnus. He currently serves as a member of the President’s Advisory Board and faithfully supports the Sciences and our students.  Jeff contributed to the renovations of the Paine Center for Science during the Impact Campaign, and recently created an endowed scholarship fund to help support students from Livingston County, New York — Jeff’s home.

Throughout his life and career, Jeff Thompson has held to the ideals of the Christian faith, making a significant impact for the Lord through sacrificial service to his Church, to the Buffalo Community, to aspiring doctors in Africa, and to Houghton University. In light of this tremendous service, it is our privilege to present Dr. Jeffrey J. Thompson with the 2023 Alumni Christian Service Award.