Dr. James is Senior Scientific Advisor at the FNIH, where she works with the GeneConvene Global Collaborative and advises on other programs on global health research. She has a Ph.D. in microbiology, a background in research on parasitic diseases, and more than 30 years of experience leading global health programs.

Prior to joining FNIH in 2004, Dr. James served as Chief of the Parasitology and International Programs Branch in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US National Institutes of Health, and subsequently as Deputy Director and director of the Global Infectious Disease program at The Ellison Medical Foundation. At FNIH, she served as Director of the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative and Director of Science from 2008–2018; Acting Executive Director in 2012; and Senior Vice President for Science from 2018 to 2021. She was the founding Director of the GeneConvene Global Collaborative. Dr. James has served on multiple international advisory committees, including to the World Health Organization, the US Agency for International Development, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program. In 1998, she was elected President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and is presently a Fellow of that society.