Give
Search
Alumni

Dr. Thomas Houston

  • Class

    Class of 1973

  • Program

    B.A. in Biology ( College of Liberal Arts ), Medical Doctor ( )

  • Hometown

    Sylvarena (South)

  • Quick Intro

    Dr. Houston is a retired physician and family medicine specialist who led the AMA's tobacco control programs, held an endowed chair at LSU, and has received national recognition for his contributions to public health and preventive medicine.
  1. Home
  2. Thomas Houston
Person with gray hair smiling at camera

About Dr. Thomas Houston

Dr. Houston is an Ole Miss graduate (BA 1973, MD 1977) who was a Carrier scholar, played in the marching and concert bands, and was a member of the biology and premedical honor societies.


After medical school, he completed the residency program in family medicine at University Medical Center in Jackson. Following a 10-year career in academic family medicine in Ohio, Georgia, and Kansas, he directed the American Medical Association’s tobacco control and public health advocacy programs from 1990-2003.


From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Houston held the Jim Finks Endowed Chair in Health Promotion at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, he and his family returned to Ohio, where he worked at a cardiac prevention and wellness center in Columbus.


Now retired from clinical practice, he is active in medical editing, writing, and volunteer activities. He is a recipient of the US Surgeon General’s Medallion and other awards for teaching and public health activities. He has given many presentations at national and international meetings on tobacco control and preventive medicine and is widely published in these areas. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. He is past president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. His wife, Cheryn, is a retired music educator and professional flutist.