Merlene Fredericks-James is an associate professor in the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the School of Public Health. In addition to her main role as an instructor, Fredericks-James also is the technical coordinator for the global public health concentration of the school’s master of public health online program.

She joined the school as an adjunct in 2021, after more than 24 years of practice in medicine and public health in the Caribbean. She was chief medical officer in Saint Lucia from 2010 to 2019. Her varied research interests are tied to the needs of developing nations. She has undertaken research as the primary investigator on maternal mortality and maternal near miss, an event in which a pregnant woman comes close to maternal deat). She also has coordinated island-wide practice-based research on risk factors for non-communicable diseases and schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic worms.

Fredericks-James is a passionate mentor and enjoys training the next generation of global public health professionals.