Dr. Sherman A James is an epidemiologist who was born in 1944.

After receiving his PhD in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, Dr. James began his research, studying social determinants of health in relationship to discrimination.

His most well-known hypothesis is “John Henryism” which describes the phenomenon of African Americans having shorter lifespans than their white counterparts due to exposure to persistent and long-term social stressors. His work shows that premature death in African Americans is linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease caused by long-term exposure to stress from discrimination and racism.

He is the first African American president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research. He is currently a Professor of Public Policy at the Sandford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Thank you, Dr. James, for being a public health hero!

This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.