Richard Thompson

RICHARD HAROLD THOMPSON

BSC (LEEDS) 1967, MB CHB (LEEDS) 1969, MRCP (UK) 1975, MD (LEEDS) 1979, 
FACC 1983, FRACP 1985, FRCP (LOND) 1996

After graduation, Richard worked in Scarborough, Edinburgh and back in Leeds before taking up a Fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Michigan 1972-73.   He was Medical Registrar and then Cardiology Registrar at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex (1973 - 1978).

Richard was appointed Cardiologist, Wellington Hospital in 1979, a position he held until 1992.
During that time, he along with Peter Leslie introduced PTCA to Wellington (18/6/86), was the first to undertake endomyocardial biopsy (12/2/85), and the first to perform balloon valvuloplasty for AS (18/6/87), for PS (2/7/87) and for MS (22/8/91).
Richard also played a part in promoting nuclear studies for cardiac function and myocardial perfusion assessment. 

He resigned from Wellington Hospital in 1992 to work full-time in private practice at Wakefield Hospital until 1997.
Richard then moved to Zimbabwe where he was Consultant Cardiologist, Parirenvatwa Hospital in Harare until 1999.  He returned to Wakefield Hospital (1999-2001) before once again returning to Africa, this time as Physician-in-Charge, Delta Medical Centre, Maun in Botswana (2001-2003).
On returning to NZ he did a series of locum posts in Palmerston North and also at the Pendlebury Clinic in NSW , Australia.  However, for probably a third of his time he was researching and writing "Nature's Design", published by Random House/Struik [Cape Town] in 2008. He has completed a second book "Living on the Edge : Survival and extinction in extreme environments", due for release early 2013. Richard is currently about half way through another manuscript - "The Long Road to Shakespeare: the origin and nature of communication".

Richard returned to Wellington Hospital in 2012, to conduct two OP cardiology clinics each week, a service which continues through 2021.