Biographical Feature: James Jorgensen, Ph.D.

In the words of Gary Doern, Ph.D., a colleague, collaborator, and friend, “Few people have made more significant and lasting contributions to the field of clinical microbiology than has Jim Jorgensen, not only as a dedicated practitioner but also as an extremely productive researcher, an uncommonly effective educator, a broad reaching author, and a lifelong advocate for the discipline.” Such sentiments are echoed by peers and mentees who have had the privilege to work with Dr. Jorgensen (Jim). What follows in this brief biography is an account of tremendous contributions to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American Society for Microbiology (ASM) from a gentleman highly regarded by all for his professionalism, his scholarship, his friendship, and especially his mentorship of junior scientists. James H. Jorgensen was born on 11 July 1946 in Dallas, TX, and he has been a resident of the state his entire life. An only child, he has been riding horses since the age of 3, a passion he shares with his wife of 37 years. Currently, they live on a 72-acre ranch (“small by Texas standards,” as Jim says) northwest of San Antonio. They have lived there for 35 years. When he was not riding horses or herding cattle, Jim was studying. He received his baccalaureate degree in biology from the University of North Texas (formerly North Texas State University) in 1969 and 1 year later an M.S. in microbiology, supported by a predoctoral scholarship, from the same institution. He was a James W. McLaughlin predoctoral fellow in infection and immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and after successfully defending his thesis, entitled “Preparation and Applications