This tribute piece was written on a social media platform by Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, CHRC, ECoP (EAR), DACAW, and republished with permission.

It is with tremendous sadness that I am informing you of Dr. Tracy Thompson’s passing on December 10, 2021. What follows is not the obituary released by her family, but my thoughts and recollections of her during our 28+ year friendship.

Tracy Thompson, DVM, graduated from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. I was a classmate of hers. After graduation, she had an amazing career. During the first stage of her career, she worked at several zoos in the Pacific Northwest and Western United States where she focused on improving animal habitats by focusing on the provision of naturalistic environments to foster animal welfare.

From zoo work, her career took her to the USDA where she served as a VMO, primarily in Colorado. She was a frequent speaker at USDA-sponsored educational events throughout the country.

The last part of her career brought her to the National Park Service (NPS) as its first Attending Veterinarian. In that position, she managed wildlife studies conducted by the federal government. She also managed the NPS IACUC, and became a substantial contributor to PRIM&R IACUC Conferences and a faculty member for the Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Project.

Tracy was a noted expert on research involving wildlife species. On June 20, 2019, I had the distinct honor of co-presenting a PRIM&R webinar with her entitled Advanced Noncompliance Scenarios for IACUCs: Laboratory Animals and Wildlife.

Tracy is survived by her wonderful husband Kevin Thompson. She was a devoted wife and pet mom, as well as an avid outdoorswoman. She was also a fantastic friend who was incredibly supportive, and those who knew her will miss her dearly.

Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, CHRC, ECoP(EAR), DACAW, is the Assistant Vice President, Conflict of Interest and the IACUC/Faculty Associate in Psychiatry (Ethics Division) at the University of Texas Southwestern.