James R. Kilgore has devoted more than four decades to advancing patient care, PA education, clinical research, professional leadership, and service. A graduate of Emory University’s Physician Associate Program, he has practiced in nephrology, hematology/oncology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and military medicine across diverse clinical settings. His research career includes more than 1,500 supervised or conducted trials involving antiemetics, erythropoietin, antihypertensive and antidiabetic therapies, and vaccines for H1N1 influenza, high-dose influenza, and dengue fever. He also served for 14 years as president and chief executive officer of a pharmaceutical research corporation.

As an educator, Dr. Kilgore directed PA programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Mississippi State University–Meridian. At UAB, he helped establish a dual MSPAS/MPH pathway, expanded enrollment to strengthen the primary care workforce, and founded a student-led screening clinic serving people experiencing homelessness. He is a professor at the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, where he teaches in the Doctor of Medical Science program and serves as editor-in-chief of its journal.

Dr. Kilgore’s national service includes leadership with the American Academy of Physician Associates, the PA Foundation, the Alabama Society of Physician Assistants, and the Academy of Doctoral PAs. A published author and researcher, he received the 2025 AAPA Publishing Award for scholarship on Doctor of Medical Science graduates.

His humanitarian commitment is equally enduring. He serves as medical director and volunteer clinician at a free charitable clinic, has supported rural COVID-19 testing and vaccination initiatives, and teaches Mental Health First Aid. A lieutenant colonel and regional Health Services Officer in the Civil Air Patrol, Dr. Kilgore exemplifies sustained excellence, innovation, and service to patients, peers, communities, and the PA profession.