James Arinaitwe, MPH, MA

James was raised in rural Western Uganda, where HIV/AIDS orphaned him at the age of 10. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computational Biology and a Master's in Public Health & Public Policy from Florida State University. While at FSU, he served as African Student Union President and global health coordinator for GlobeMed. James was awarded the 2011 FSU Global Citizen Award from the Center for Global Engagement. He graduated with a second Master's in Sustainable Development & International Policy from the SIT Graduate Institute in Washington, D.C.

James's passion lies in global health equity, education, and social justice, having worked with the Carter Center and BRAC. James also served as a Global Health Corps 2012-13 fellow, working as a program assistant for the poverty alleviation NGO Single Stop in New York City. James also served as the School Partnership Manager for Educate!, an NGO based in Kampala that partners with the Ugandan Ministry of Education to change Uganda's education system through youth leadership and entrepreneurship. Currently James is a 2014-15 Acumen Global Fellow, and works for LabourNet in Bangalore, a social enterprise that offers workers a platform to access financial inclusion services and social protection. He is also an Aspen Institute 2014 New Voices Fellow, and has written for the New York Times, Al Jazeera, NPR, and the Daily Beast.