The Society for Epidemiologic Research has announced the establishment of the Sherman A. James Diverse and Inclusive Epidemiology Award. The award honors Sherman A. James, the Susan B. King Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
The award will recognize research, teaching, or service by an individual that expands the scope of the field to underrepresented or disadvantaged populations or researchers and that has facilitated greater diversity and inclusiveness.
Before joining the faculty at Duke University, Dr. James taught epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the University of Michigan.
Dr. James’ research focuses on the social determinants of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in health and health care in the United States. He developed the John Henryism Hypothesis which posits that repeated high-effort coping with chronic social and economic adversity rooted in structural racism is an important factor in the early onset of hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases among African Americans.
Dr. James earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and philosophy in 1964 from Talladega College in Alabama. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.
