"Theory without practice is empty, and practice without theory can be misguided"
Jim Thomas, MPH, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology
Gillings School of Global Public Health
Fellow Emeritus, Carolina Population Center
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dr. Thomas brings together a unique set of skills to address this era’s most challenging public health issues. With experiences that encompass both academics and practice, he has:
Advised the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of North Carolina, and the University of North Carolina on the ethical control of pandemics.
Directed large projects to strengthen health information systems in more than 40 low- and middle-income countries.
Developed and implemented evaluations of complex systems in North Carolina, Ethiopia, Thailand and elsewhere.
Translated theory to practice by using his knowledge of complex systems to found and direct Africa Rising, and organization that strengthened African community-based organizations by networking them together.
Addressed practical public health issues in locations ranging from the Congo rainforest, to American prisons, to Hollywood film studios.
Integrated his practical experiences into the textbook Epidemiologic Methods for the Study of Infectious Diseases.
Led the writing of the first code of ethics for public health adopted by the American Public Health Association and other national organizations.
Current projects
Retired from UNC in September 2021 (now an Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology)
Researching and writing a book on unlearning colonial ways of doing good.
Teaching courses annually on global health at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, Paris.
Participating in European and Australian efforts to articulate regional public health ethics.
The more than 40 countries in which Dr. Thomas has worked as an epidemiologist or ethicist.
Published by Oxford University Press
Links
Gillings School of Public Health faculty page
Medium posts on the return of students to UNC during the COVID pandemic