Craig A. Thompson MD, MMSc.

Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology); Director, Cardiovascular Catheterization and Intervention; Director, Invasive Cardiology and Vascular Medicine

Biographical Info

Dr. Craig A. Thompson is Director of Cardiovascular Catheterization and Intervention with Yale New Haven Hospital and Director of Invasive Cardiology and Vascular Medicine with Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT. The Interventional Cardiology service line with Yale Cardiology includes cardiovascular catheterization laboratories, cardiovascular research (YCRG), vascular medicine, and Yale-UCL cardiovascular device development. Dr Thompson is currently developing a translational cardiovascular device development program between Yale and University College, London in the United Kingdom. Dr. Thompson's primary academic interests are in prototype cardiovascular device development for unmet needs, the interface of device and biologic based therapy, and catheter based technique development for advanced cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Thompson is a world leader in interventional cardiology in the field of complex cardiovascular interventions including therapies for chronic total occlusive vascular diseases. Dr. Thompson actively publishes in this field, participates in national/international scientific session program planning and development, and lectures throughout the world at meetings for interventional cardiovascular therapies. Dr. Thompson has active training programs for complex interventions and chronic total occlusions at Yale, and previously at Dartmouth, where he served as Director of Cardiovascular Catheterization until February 2009, as well as national and international CTO training initiatives. Dr. Thompson has performed thousands of cardiac and vascular interventions and chronic total occlusion PCIs in the cardiac and peripheral vessels. In partnership with many colleagues throughout the United States and globally, Dr. Thompson has assembled the first and largest experience in the United States for retrograde techniques and other innovative techniques and technologies for chronic total occlusion. The Yale CTO PCI program is among the most active and innovative in the world for management of occlusive coronary diseases. Dr. Thompson has actively participated or led many efforts for innovative technique refinement and technology development for CTO PCI. Dr. Thompson contributed to early development efforts for dissection-reentry technologies such as the Pioneer catheter and the Bridgepoint crossing and reentry systems, as well as stem cell/progenitor cell angiomyogenesis applications for advanced cardiac disease, and first in man gene therapy programs for arteriogenesis. Dr. Thompson has a Masters of Science Degree in clinical investigation from the Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He trained in cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Interventional Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

Education & Training

M.D.

University of Mississippi (1995)

MMS

Harvard Medical School (2003)

Resident

University of Mississippi Medical Center, Internal Medicine (1995 - 1998)

Fellow

Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard University School of Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases (1998 - 2001)

Fellow

Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University School of Medicine, Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine (2001 - 2003)

Board Certification

Vascular Medicine, Board Certified 

Board Certification

Endovascualr Medicine, Board Certified 

Board Certification

Cardiovascular Disease, Board Certified  (2001)

Board Certification

Interventional Cardiology, Board Certified  (2003)