The newest member of the marketing and communications team at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine is no stranger to Wilmer. Timothy Thompson, who has had a variety of roles at the institute since 2014, can now add writer to his résumé.

Thompson joined the marketing and communications team on a part-time basis in August and will continue working at Wilmer’s Patient Access Center for the Eye, where he has been a lead technician since 2019. In his new position, he focuses on writing website and clinic content, as well as articles featuring Wilmer faculty and staff.

Thompson says he is able to quench what he calls his “insatiable thirst for knowledge” as he splits his time between both roles. “I get to stay in ophthalmology and continue to learn in the clinic setting, then come to the marketing setting and take what I’ve learned there to push out the message of Wilmer,” he says.

As a lead technician at PACE, it’s Thompson’s job to make sure the clinic operates smoothly. He can often be found handling room assignments, making sure rooms are adequately equipped and being a resource for technicians and physicians. He says he enjoys learning about the variety of ophthalmology pathologies, treatments and innovations.

While he has pursued a career in ophthalmology, Thompson says he never lost his interest in writing, which he has loved since a young age. His passion for the craft continued through college, where he received a bachelor’s degree in professional writing and wrote for the school’s newspaper. “Writing has allowed me to express myself,” he says.

When he saw a job listing at Wilmer for a writer position that asked for experience in ophthalmology, Thompson says he needed to pursue it, knowing that job listings with that specific request are few and far between. “When I saw that there was an opportunity to join the team, I had to jump on it,” he says. “It spoke to me.”

Melanie Brown, senior marketing and communications manager at Wilmer, says Thompson’s knowledge of ophthalmology and of Wilmer will aid the team and its understanding of what goes on in the clinics. “Tim’s experience as a technician and a writer is so valuable to us,” she says. “He sees and hears firsthand the patient’s concerns, their pain points and opportunities for improvement on patient-facing communications.”

Shelley Casey, PACE clinic manager, has known Thompson since he started at Wilmer, and she says his trajectory there has been a great example of the kinds of opportunities that are available. “I think it’s a good way to combine what he initially envisioned himself doing with what he knows now about medicine and how much he cares about ophthalmology,” she says. “This is an opportunity that’s going to be good for him and good for Wilmer.”