Biography
Dr. Eric Tompkins has been at Internal Medicine Associates LLC since 2000.
Eric Tompkins, MD has been practicing Gastroenterology in Alaska for over 25 years.
He attended Medical School and Fellowship at the University of Mississippi. He was the Head of the Air Force branch for Gastroenterology for the European Theater, during that time it was part of his duties to be on CNN as a medical correspondent.
Dr. Tompkins was in the Air Force for nine years and had the opportunity to work in Germany for three years before practicing in Anchorage. Dr. Tompkins served as Chief of Gastroenterology at Elmendorf AFB Hospital from 1993-1997, just prior to joining Internal Medicine Associates.
He will tell you that there has never been a moment where he did not want to become a physician. He has always wanted to do something where he would feel good about helping people, while using his ability to process and retain information. Dr. Tompkins also recognizes the value of physician leadership and serves on the Internal Medicine Associates Executive Committee. He is regularly observed to bring forward progressive ideas in improving both the patient experience and the workplace.
In his career, the best advice he ever received was from his Fellowship director who stated, “If you let a patient talk to you long enough, they would eventually tell you what is wrong with them. If you spend too short of a time with them, you may miss an opportunity to get information that may lead to additional diagnostic considerations.”
Dr. Tompkins has always said, “There is not ever one right answer to anything in medicine – the proper thing to do requires a careful consideration of the risks vs. benefits of any sort of intervention. This may result in different treatment for different patients who have similar symptoms.”
A few fun facts about Dr. Tompkins: he has an extensive music selection and has worked as a “disk jockey” at many of our office holiday parties. While not working, Dr. Tompkins enjoys hiking, skiing, and spending time with his family.
