Vitals
JERRY H. HODGE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
All in the Family: A Pharmacy Heritage
Inspired by their mother’s dedication yet driven by their own aspirations, Aaron Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’15) and Jordan Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’19), and her daughter, Sarah Wilson, DPT, (Physical Therapy ’20) followed in her footsteps to serve in health care, each enjoying their student life in the same camper she lived in.
Suzanne Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’04) never imagined the legacy she was building for her children when she started her journey at TTUHSC while raising her three young children. In 1989, the family moved to Seminole, Texas, and Suzanne was a substitute teacher for Seminole ISD, until she was accepted into the program. Seminole was 203 miles south of TTUHSC’s newly opened pharmacy school in Amarillo. Suzanne would drive up on the weekdays, stay in a camper and come home on the weekends. Although she had to sacrifice special moments, Suzanne set the course for her children’s future.
“My very first day of classes was the first day of kindergarten for my youngest, Jordan. Needless to say, I was not happy to be in Amarillo at that time, missing that,’’ Suzanne said. In balancing motherhood and a rigorous course load, Suzanne persevered and earned her pharmacy degree.
Before her current role at United Pharmacy in Lubbock, Texas, she worked at an independent pharmacy in Seminole for 13 years.
While in school, Jordan met his wife, Jeni, who was also pursuing her pharmacy degree. They got married and then graduated together in 2019. Jordan started his career working for United Pharmacy and now works at Grace Surgical Hospital in Lubbock. Jeni Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’19) works for University Medical Center in Lubbock.
“(Health care is) usually where our dinner conversations turn, and now my husband (Danny Thompson) is used to it,” Suzanne jokes. “He may even see an advertisement on TV for a certain drug and ask about it.”
She credits her husband and their partnership for helping her get through those four years and ultimately for getting their family to where they are today — making their mark on health care, forever grateful for the opportunities TTUHSC afforded them and the connections it forged.