Dr James French is the head of breast surgery at Westmead Breast Cancer Institute located at Westmead Hospital where he is a senior staff specialist and clinical lecturer with the University of Sydney. He also has a private practice run via specialist services, both consulting and operating at Westmead Private and Norwest Private hospitals 

After completing general surgical training James undertook two further fellowship years of training in breast and thyroid/parathyroid surgery. For the past 8 years James has concentrated exculsively on breast and thyroid surgery only. Dr French has been involved at the forefront of developing the newer so-called "oncoplastic" techniques for breast surgery. He offers a wide variety of options for woman who are suitable or choose to undergo breast conserving surgery including adaptive mammoplasty (breast conserving surgery combined with breast reduction) and multiple implant based options (single and two stage procedures, with or without nipple preservation) for woman who choose post mastectomy implant based breast reconstruction. In addition he maintains close ties with plastic and reconstructive colleaugues for patients who choose or who are best suites to a tissue based reconstruction.

Dr French chairs, and discusses all his breast cancer patients in a multi-disciplinary meeting both in the public and private sectors, thus ensuring that everyone has access to a multiple specialist opinions regarding their cancer management. As a clinical lectuer at the University of Sydney, James is involved in teaching of medical graduates from medical students to post graduate surgical fellows. He has contributed to 44 peer reviewed articles and is involved in numerous local and international clinical trials.