Inducted in 2018
David Stewart James was a member of Will Rogers’ first state championship wrestling team, where he finished runner up at 137 pounds. He lettered in wrestling, football and track, and was named Athlete of the Year. He was a member of the 1960 Big Ten Conference wrestling team at Michigan State University, and Michigan AAU wrestling champion in 1962. Later he finished 3rd in the Olympic trials in Toledo, Ohio.
After completing his Bachelor of Science at Michigan State, David earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Kansas City University of Biosciences. He completed a three-year residency at Tulsa Regional Medical Center, and a fellowship program at Kansas University Medical Center, and became the first D.O. gastroenterologist in the state of Oklahoma.
David has served the Tulsa community since 1973, building his practice with a caring and nurturing attitude toward his patients. With certifications in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, David has devoted his life to his practice, as well as research, education, and advancing the skills of the local medical community.
He has been Medical Director of the endoscopy unit at Saint Francis South Hospital and at OSU Medical Center. He is a Professor in the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, and has been Director of the Clinical Course in Gastroenterology since 1974. David was also one of the creators of the fellowship in gastroenterology program at OSU Medical Center.
David has performed over 150 clinical research projects in gastroenterology, and was awarded Researcher of the Year by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. He was named Oklahoma Doctor of the Year in 2005 by the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association. He has authored and co-authored over 20 papers and more than 250 medical presentations, in gastroenterology. One of his highest honors was being granted the degree of Fellow by the American College of Gastroenterology in 1987.
