James (Jim) Raper, PhD

Dr. James L. Raper, PhD, DSN, CRNP, JD, FAAN, FAANP, FIDSA, is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner, scholar, and healthcare advocate whose career has spanned more than four decades. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kent State University in June 1979 while working full-time as a hospital orderly and attending school full-time — graduating debt-free through academic reimbursement earned by strong performance. Immediately after graduation, he joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and served on active duty from 1979 to 1982. During his service, he became head nurse of the emergency department at the Army hospital in Huntsville, Alabama. The Army supported his graduate education, and he completed his Master’s degree in family nursing at University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1982. He continued his military commitment in the Army Reserves, ultimately retiring with the rank of Major.

Committed to lifelong learning, Dr. Raper earned his PhD from University of Alabama at Birmingham in March 1994 and later completed a post-master’s certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Alabama in Huntsville the same year. Expanding his impact beyond clinical practice, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Birmingham School of Law in May 2003. For the final 20 years of his career, he focused extensively on HIV care, combining his legal and nursing expertise to advocate for patients and funding. Through the Ryan White Medical Provider Coalition, he spent more than 15 years actively engaging with state legislators in Montgomery, Alabama, championing sustained and expanded support for HIV services and care delivery.

Dr. Raper retired in 2022 following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, choosing to embrace and enjoy his well-earned retirement years. His legacy, however, continues to shape healthcare and nursing education. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, a professorship was established in his name at the University of Alabama at Birmingham — making him the first male to receive that distinction there. He is also being honored with a professorship at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Raper has exemplified service, scholarship, advocacy, and leadership, leaving a lasting impact on patients, policy, and the nursing profession.

• Doctor of Philosophy, Nursing Administration (MSN/ MS/ PhD) University of Alabama at Birmingham, N/A2 Jan 1994
• Master of Nursing, Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN/ ASN/ BSN/ MSN) University of Alabama in Huntsville, N/A2 Jan 1982

• FNP-C
• FAAN
• FAANP
• FIDSA

• First male to receive named professorship at UAB
• Professorship at University of Alabama in Huntsville
• Head Nurse of Emergency Department at U.S. Army Hospital

• Fellow American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
• Fellow American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP)
• Fellow Infectious Disease Society of America (FIDSA)
• Ryan White Medical Provider Coalition

• HIV Care Advocacy
• Ryan White Medical Provider Coalition