Dr. Adam James
Dr. Adam James accepted Phi Theta Kappa membership at Pima Community College in Arizona after returning from the Air Force where he served as a special operations medic.
Deciding he wanted to become a doctor, he credits Phi Theta Kappa for helping him believe in himself.
In 2012, he received PTK’s most prestigious scholarship, the Hites Scholarship, and earned recognition as an All-USA Academic Team member and a New Century Scholar.
The encouragement and support he received from PTK sustained him as he earned his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at the University of Arizona and moved on to medical school at the University of Minnesota.
When James began his first year of medical school, he promised himself that once he became a doctor he would give back to the organizations, like Phi Theta Kappa, that helped him achieve his dream.
In 2024, two years after completing his residency, he established the Dr. Adam James Pre-Medical Student Scholarship with the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Phi Theta Kappa member interested in pursuing medicine. James is the first PTK scholar to establish a PTK scholarship.
Today, James works as an emergency room physician with Adventist Health Care and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland. As a member of the Air Force, he serves as an instructor in the Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS). The program provides training in trauma and critical care for U.S. Air Force physicians, nurses, technicians, Special Operations medics, and chaplains.