James J. James, MD, DrPH, MHA, is the executive director of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (SDMPH). Dr. James is also the founding editor-in-chief of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal, one of the most important journals in the field of disaster medicine and public health.
Prior to SDMPH, Dr. James was director of the American Medical Association’s Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response, where he oversaw the development and deployment of the National Disaster Life Support suite of courses (more than 110 000 medical and public health personnel trained) and other innovative mass casualty developments such as a health security smart card and the Citizen Ready preparedness and recovery training modules. Regarded as an expert in the disaster arena, Dr James has served on many federal and private boards and committees in major policy and research functions.
Board certified in general preventive medicine, Dr James earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio; a doctorate in public health from the School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles; and a Master’s degree in healthcare administration from Baylor University, Houston, Texas.