Dr. James K. Fortson
Dr. James K. Fortson ('72, B.S.) is board certified in Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery and served as Chief Executive Officer of ENT Associates of South Atlanta for more than twenty years, providing care to patients throughout the Atlanta area. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, member of the American Triological Society, and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a Certified Physician Executive.
Dr. Fortson’s work on Head and Neck Manifestations of Child Maltreatment is highly regarded and has been recognized by respected bodies in both clinical practice and academia. He has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the ENT Section of the National Medical Association and President of the Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society (PCOOS). His professional affiliations include the Caribbean Association of Otolaryngology and the Pan American Congress of Otolaryngology, and he has been a longtime panelist at the International Robotic Surgery Symposium Society in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Fortson served for 15 years as a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine. After leaving Morehouse, he continued to mentor and teach countless medical students and residents pursuing careers in medicine.
Dr. Fortson earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1972, and attended medical school at the State University of New York at Buffalo. His specialty training in Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery was completed through the prestigious combined Boston University and Tufts University program affiliated with Harvard University Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He also holds a Master’s in Public Health and Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.
Dr. Fortson has dedicated significant time to humanitarian medical service in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as part of Physicians for Humanity. Over the course of a decade, he performed life-saving procedures—including cancer resections and complex reconstructive surgeries—personally operating on hundreds of patients and providing care to several hundred more. His work has helped establish him as a respected authority in otolaryngology throughout the Caribbean. In his retirement, Dr. Fortson continues to provide care to patients in Castries, St. Lucia, to help address critical gaps in specialty care on the island.
Dr. Fortson is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and a lifetime member of both the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States and the Reserve Officer Association. He has participated extensively in scholarship and research, authoring and publishing books, papers, and abstracts in the field of otolaryngology. He continues to remain active in research and professional presentations.
A proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Alpha Chapter, 1970), Dr. Fortson remains actively involved in community service initiatives with the Men of Omega in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the proud father of two daughters, Jobina and Jori, both graduates of Howard University. He resides in the Atlanta area, with his wife, Deborah.