Atlanta – University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. announced today that he has appointed Dr. James N. Thompson to serve as interim president of the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.

Dr. Thompson, an otolaryngologist and former medical school dean who has served as chief executive officer of the Federation of State Medical Boards, will join the MCG staff on Oct. 1, 2009, and will transition into the presidency at some point during the month of October, serving in this role until the new permanent president is on board.

A national search is underway to select a new president at MCG, following the departure of its current president, Dr. Daniel W. Rahn, who is the new chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

"Dr. Thompson's career encompasses both work at a medical school and on a national level overseeing medical licensing and regulatory boards. He has an excellent understanding of and extensive experience with the rigors and skills of leading a medical research university," said Davis. "We are fortunate that Dr. Thompson can fill this post at this critical juncture in MCG's history."

Dr. Thompson served as president and chief executive officer of the FSMB from 2002-08. The FSMB is a national non-profit association that serves as a collective voice for the 70-member allopathic and osteopathic state medical licensing and regulatory boards in the United States and its territories.

In his FSMB role, Dr. Thompson was the official spokesperson for the organization and represented the nation's medical boards in public forums related to health regulatory policy. He speaks often about health and medical education policy, professional behavior of physicians and the role of regulatory authorities in preserving the integrity of the medical profession.

Prior to joining the FSMB, Dr. Thompson was on the faculty of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He served as dean of the School of Medicine from 1994-2001 and Wake Forest University Vice President from 1997-2001. In 2002, he was named Dean Emeritus of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Thompson represented the American Medical Association on the Executive Committee of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting authority for medical education programs that lead to an M.D. degree in U.S. and Canadian medical schools. He is past chair of the Governing Council of the AMA's Section on Medical Schools.

Dr. Thompson has received numerous awards from universities and associations related to his work, including the distinguished service award from the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Harris Mosher Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society for research on corrosive esophageal injuries, the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from DePauw University, the 2006 Alumni Achievement Award from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the 2007 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Presidential Citation.

Dr. Thompson earned his B.A. degree at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. and his M.D. degree at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. He completed an otolaryngology residency at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh and an otolaryngology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine.

He and his wife Carol live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have four grown children and eight grandchildren.