James Irlam is a Senior Lecturer in the Primary Health Care Directorate (Dept. of Family, Community and Emergency Care) and the Division of Environmental Health (School of Public Health) at the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences.

James is the founder of the Education for Sustainable Healthcare Group within the Southern African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE). He is also an executive member of the Climate, Energy and Health Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA).

James holds an MPhil in Epidemiology and an MSc in Climate Change & Development from UCT. His PhD on Education about Planetary Health and Sustainable Healthcare in South African health professions education was conferred in April 2025.