James, who currently is a UI associate professor of family medicine, also will serve as chair of the board of directors of the UI Community Medical Services and director of UI Family Care Clinics in Johnson County. James will remain the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Endowed Chair in Rural Medicine, a position to which he was appointed when he joined the UI faculty in 2001. He also is an associate professor of occupational and environmental health in the UI College of Public Health.

Jean Robillard, M.D., dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, noted, "Our UI Department of Family Medicine is both an outstanding clinical department and an important source of research for the profession. Paul's combination of clinical expertise and commitment to the missions of education and research will ensure that this department maintains its national leadership."

Both Robillard expressed appreciation for the commitment of Gerald Jogerst, M.D., UI associate professor of family medicine, who has served as interim head of the department and center since October 2003. At that time, the previous department head, Cynda Johnson, M.D., stepped down to take a new position as dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

James earned a bachelor's degree and a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980 and 1984, respectively. He completed a family medicine residency from 1984 to 1987 at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. James practiced rural family medicine for five years in North Carolina prior to entering academic medicine and completed a faculty development fellowship in rural health from 1992 to 1993 at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

An award-winning teacher of family medicine, James is listed among America's Best Doctors. He also is a researcher funded by entities such as the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Agency for HealthCare Quality and Research. His research interests include measuring quality of care, especially as it relates to rural health service delivery, and measuring instructional quality in ambulatory medical education. James directs a practice-based research network, the Iowa Research Network (IRENE), which works with practicing family doctors across Iowa to improve understanding and quality of health services delivery in actual practices.

For more information:

Paul James, M.D.

Department of Family Medicine

UI Family Care Center