Dr. Kip Thompson, a Missouri State University alumnus and assistant professor of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, is not your average online professor.

He is currently teaching two online courses during his military deployment in Honduras.

“This is probably a first for the university that a professor is teaching online graduate courses while on military deployment,” said Dr. David Claborn, director of the MPH program at MSU.

In November 2001, Thompson was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Army.

“At that time, I felt it was the right thing to do,” Thompson said. “Even today, I think I made the correct decision.”

Thompson, now a Lieutenant Colonel, began working at Preventative Medicine Detachment units in cities across the U.S. He began teaching at Missouri State in August 2015.

Since 2001, he has been deployed four times, including his current deployment to Honduras.

Focusing on students and their educations

Thompson is teaching two graduate MPH courses while stationed.

“Missouri State has always been supportive of my military career, so I wanted to help the university and MPH program by teaching online,” Thompson said.

His focus is improving MPH students’ education.

“I don’t want to disrupt the education of our MPH students,” Thompson said. “By teaching courses online, I hope to give at least a little continuity to our students as they move through the program.”

While teaching online can be challenging, Thompson says the rewards are far greater.

“Teaching helps me stay connected to home and makes it feel like I’m not so isolated,” Thompson said.

Find out more about the MPH program on the MSU website.