James J. James, M.D., Dr.P.H., M.H.A. is the director of the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Center for Disaster Medicine and Emergency Response. He is responsible for managing and developing a comprehensive medical and public health program for AMA’s response to terrorism and other disasters. He works with the Department of Health & Human Services and state and local medical societies to share information, implement communications strategies, and coordinate medical and public health agencies’ response in the event of a terrorist attack or other sweeping disaster. Dr. James served as director of the Miami-Dade County Health Department from 2000 through 2002. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing public health programs throughout the county, and was instrumental in dealing with the anthrax-related incidents that occurred after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Under Dr. James’s leadership, Florida developed a comprehensive plan to respond to future bioterrorist events. He was appointed to Florida Governor Bush’s Domestic Security Task Force and as lead health agent for preparedness and response for Region 7, which encompasses the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and Monroe. During his tenure, the Miami-Dade Health Department was awarded the Governor’s Sterling Award in 2002, which is conferred on businesses and organizations in Florida to acknowledge performance excellence in management and operations. Dr. James served for 26 years with the U.S. Army Medical Department in a variety of roles, including surgeon general (Eight Army, United States Forces Korea) and commanding general (William Beaumont Army Medical Center). He is an epidemiologist and is board-certified in preventive medicine. He holds a doctorate in medicine from the Cincinnati College of Medicine and a doctorate in public health from UCLA School of Public Health. He also holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Baylor University. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.