James D. Shelton, MD, MPH, currently Science Advisor for the Bureau for Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has been with USAID for more than three decades and also served with the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In recognition of his contributions, especially to reproductive health and HIV prevention, he has received USAID’s Distinguished Career Award, the George C. Marshall award and the Carl S. Schultz Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Public Health Association. Dr. Shelton’s main passion is promoting technical excellence and learning, especially in the area of program or implementation science. He has engaged in a variety of initiatives to promote technical learning and best practices, including the Maximizing Access and Quality (MAQ) Initiative, the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) Initiative, Essentials of Contraceptive Technology and its successor Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, the Global Health Mini-University, and Global Health eLearning. Most recently, he provides leadership and guidance as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the new peer-reviewed journal Global Health: Science and Practice.