James Heaf studied at Cambridge in 1970-76 and has since worked in Copenhagen. He defended his medical thesis on aluminium osteodystrophy in 1992. He is the administrator of the national renal database and consultant at Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen where he cares for peritoneal dialysis, limited care hemodialysis and home hemodialysis patients. His research interests include bone metabolic disease, peritoneal dialysis and renal epidemiology.