James L. Madara, MD, is the former dean of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. In this role he coordinated the university’s biomedical research, teaching, and clinical activities.

Currently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Medical Association, Dr. Madara is an accomplished academic medical center physician, medical scientist, and administrator. He is an authority on epithelial cell biology and on gastrointestinal disease.

Dr. Madara has served as the president of the American Board of Pathology and as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Pathology. He has published more than 200 original papers and chapters that have made important contributions to understanding the biology of cells that line the digestive tract. This work has garnered national and international awards.

He earned his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed his internship and residency at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Dr. Madara joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School where he rose to a full tenured professor and served as director of the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center.