James Ward West (March 29, 1914 – July 24, 2012) was an American physician, psychiatrist, surgeon, and pioneer in the fields of organ transplantation and addiction treatment. He was part of a team of surgeons who performed the world's first kidney transplant in 1950. West practiced as a surgeon from 1948 to 1981. He then focused on psychiatry during his later career. He co-founded the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1982. West served as the founding medical director of the Betty Ford Center from 1982 until 1989.