Thea James

Thea L. James is an American emergency medical physician as well as an associate professor, associate chief medical officer, and vice president of mission at the Boston Medical Center (BMC) in Boston, Massachusetts.

She serves as director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program, and was supervising medical officer on the Boston Disaster Medical Assistance Team under the department of Health and Human Services. At BMC, she leads efforts to manage and strengthen partnerships with local, state, and national organizations, driving innovative and effective care models for patients and communities.

Early life and education James was born in Alexandria, Virginia. James received her BS and MS from Hampton University. She then studied at Georgetown University School of Medicine from 1987-1991, receiving an MD. In 1991, she moved to Boston to pursue a residency in emergency medicine at Boston City Hospital, which is now part of BMC and was affiliated with Boston University School of Medicine, eventually becoming Chief Resident. James' upbringing outside of Washington, D.C., where the federal government serves as an economic anchor for employment, She started this program in 2006 based in the emergency room, and her experiences highlighted the need to address factors upstream of the emergency room in order to alter the quality of life-course that in turn prevents violence and trauma in her patients. For her work in addressing community violence, James was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve on the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence.

As a leader in the medical field, James currently serves as the chair of the Licensing Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. She has also served in several leadership positions within the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) and is currently an appointed member of the SAEM Women in Academic Medicine Emergency Task Force.

Global emergency medicine James promotes health equity and addresses public health needs in communities beyond the Boston Area. For 20 years, James travelled to Haiti, along with other colleagues in emergency medicine, to build sustainable public health infrastructures through grass-roots community partnerships. and is a member of the Board of Directors of Equal Health. Equal Health works with local partners in Haiti to create strong, sustainable medical and nursing education systems. James partners with colleagues and community organizations with a goal for patients and communities to be able to fully participate in the economy, which leads to the ability to afford housing, healthy food, education and wellness. 2015: The Boston Business Journal, Healthcare Hero Award 2017: Jerome Klein Award for Physician Excellence 2019: Massachusetts Public Health Association, Health Equity Champion 2020: Fenway Health: Dr. Susan M. Love Award