Office of the Dean
Message from the Regional Dean
Trevonne M. Thompson, MD, MHPE, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, is an internationally recognized physician, scientist and academic leader who has served as regional dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford since March 2026. In this role, Dean Thompson oversees a diverse community of nearly 700 faculty and 300 trainees and steers the college in its mission to advance health for everyone through outstanding education, research, clinical care and social responsibility.
A professor of emergency medicine, medical toxicology, and medical education, Dean Thompson also serves as the interim chair of the UICOMR Department of Health Sciences Education.
Prior to his roles on the Rockford campus, Dean Thompson has held faculty and leadership positions on the College of Medicine Chicago campus since 2009. As a professor of emergency medicine and medical toxicology, he taught and mentored dozens of medical students, residents and fellows, and served as the director of the Division of Medical Toxicology in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He was named the college-wide associate dean for admissions in 2019, serving during a period of unprecedented increases in medical school applications, and prior to that, he was assistant dean for residency preparedness.
An emergency physician and medical toxicologist at University of Illinois Hospital & Health Science System, Dean Thompson’s clinical and academic work spans emergency care delivery, poisoning management, substance use-related public health challenges, and the development of toxicology systems both locally and internationally. An affiliate of the College of Medicine’s Center for Global Health, he has led collaborative initiatives with global partners, including national health agencies in Fiji, and contributes to the development of national guidelines and ongoing professional education.
As an internationally renowned scholar, Dean Thompson has presented and published his research in emergency medicine, medical toxicology and medical education through dozens of peer-reviewed manuscripts, textbook chapters, national conferences and media appearances.
Dean Thompson has earned the prestigious status of fellow from the American College of Medical Toxicology, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians, attesting to his professional excellence, service and contributions to his field of medicine. He also serves as a consultant to the Illinois Poison Center, is an associate editor and on the editorial board for the Journal of Medical Toxicology and serves as a peer reviewer for five other academic journals.
The first African American regional dean at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Dean Thompson has long been a champion of building a culture dedicated to health equity and success for all learners, earning him recognition from the National Medical Association with an Excellence in Service Award.
A graduate of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Dean Thompson completed a residency in emergency medicine at what is now Stroger Hospital of Cook County, where he served as chief resident. He went on to complete a fellowship in medical toxicology at the Toxikon Consortium in Chicago and earned a master’s degree in health professions education from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2025.
Drawing from his own experiences as a medical student and resident as well as a physician, faculty member and researcher, Dean Thompson is committed to fostering an environment where students, staff and faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford thrive in their learning and work environments because it is within such environments that we are poised to best serve our patients and our community.