James C. Cunningham, MD

Dr. Cunningham was born and raised in Texas. His initial exposure to medicine was as a patient, having scared the bejeebers out of his parents with numerous childhood injuries and illnesses. He was profoundly touched by the commitment, compassion, and purpose of those caring for him and their dedication to serving others.

Growing up in a family of five children, pediatrics seemed a logical choice, especially when your siblings continually remind you that you never seemed to really want to grow up. Kids are great! They don't really care who you are, where you were educated, what awards you've won, etc., they just want you to be kind to them and help them feel better. Hard to find a better job than that!

Dr. Cunningham received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, with a B.S. in Zoology. Despite his numerous other degrees, he is, and will always be an Aggie. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and his Pediatrics Internship and Residency were completed at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center/ Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma City. Dr. Cunningham's Fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology was at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson where he was a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Clinical Fellow, as well as a National Institutes of Health Research Fellow.

After completion of his training, Dr. Cunningham joined Cook Children's Medical Center as the Medical Director of Pediatric Pulmonology and the Co-Director of the Fort Worth Cystic Fibrosis Center. He subsequently became Medical Director for Cook Children's Medical Center and, more recently, has assumed the role of Executive Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer for Cook Children's Health Care System. He remains active in clinical medicine, despite his administrative duties.

Dr. Cunningham has remained active nationally, especially with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where he has served two terms on the CFF Center Committee, the CFF Clinical Guidelines Committee, and the Data Safety Monitoring Board. He co-authored the book and video "An Introduction to Cystic Fibrosis for Patients and Their Families" which is now in its 6th edition and is distributed nationally at Cystic Fibrosis Care Centers for initial education of patients and caregivers. He has also been active in clinical research and is proud to have been Principal Investigator for the first Therapeutics Development Network Center awarded in North Texas by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Most importantly, however, he is proud to have helped develop one of the country's most outstanding Pediatric Pulmonology programs, right here in North Texas to better serve our children and families.