Dr. James Powell received medical and Clinical Pharmacology training from Cornell University Medical College. He entered the pharmaceutical industry in 1982 at Procter & Gamble. He was co-creator of the National Medical Association's Project IMPACT, an effort to involve African-American physicians and patients in clinical research. He received the Lifetime Honorary Membership Award from AAPP for his work to improve patient diversity in clinical trials. Recently, Dr. Powell was appointed by Secretary Leavy, HHS, to the "Secretary's Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection". As a Certified Physician Investigator, he has conducted many presentations on clinical trials in people of color.