United Kingdom
Hi, I'm James and I have a decade of experience working at the intersection of medicine, technology, and human behaviour. I currently lead the research, digital innovation and AI work at a global coalition across 40+ countries - Community Health Impact Coalition - focused on making professional CHWs the norm worldwide. As part this role our team have published academic work cited 800+ times, produced globally viewed podcasts, published AI governance frameworks in The Lancet Primary Care and convened leaders across policy, technology and public health implementation at major global convenings such as Skoll World Forum and World Health Summit. The research I lead has also contributed to 47 countries adopting professional community health worker policies, out of a global target of 95. Away from research, I built a digital health education platform from scratch across platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Meta that now reaches over 10 million people a month - with over 200 million resource accesses in total. I also have also served as a clinically active licensed physician in the UK National Health Service for over 10 years and have experience in primary and secondary care, hold an MBA in healthcare from University College London and a PhD in digital education from The University of Oxford. I have completed fellowships at Harvard (2013-14) and Stanford Universities (2019) and serve as faculty at Mount Sinai School of Medicine as Assistant Clinical Professor of Global Health and Health Systems Design. The thread running through all of my work is this: "How do you get the right information, to the right people, at scale, without losing what matters in the process?" If you would like to connect, please reach out!
Promoted to this expanded role with a new mandate spanning AI, digital innovation, and research strategy - building on three years leading the research function to take on the emerging challenge of responsible AI deployment in community health systems. Led and published a 48-author, multi-country study on AI governance in community health worker programmes in The Lancet Primary Care — one of the first frameworks of its kind, drawing on original survey data across 28 NGOs in 18 countries and addressing how AI can be deployed responsibly at the frontlines of global health. Convened and chairs a group of 50 researchers, practitioners, and policymakers focused on AI research in the community health worker space — a first-of-its-kind body bridging research and practice across the global health AI landscape. The work of this group has directly informed the funding strategies of global health funders. Convened and led an AI-CHW Workshop during the 2026 Skoll World Forum in Oxford — bringing together 80 funders, implementers, governments, and technology partners including Anthropic, Gates Foundation, and Google.org around a single goal: moving AI in community health from fragmented pilots to integrated, scalable systems. Designed and delivered with 7 co-design partners (IDinsight, Last Mile Health, Mozilla Data Collective, DataKind, Living Goods, Medic, Audere). Of respondents to the post-workshop survey, 79% rated it 4+/5 for valuable new connections made and 86% actively sought out specific people on the day via the curated participant lookbook. The majority signalled intent to continue the work - through joint publications, drafting CHW-AI guidelines, and forming an ongoing community of practice now in development. Select work: 1. AI governance in community health systems — responsible deployment framework drawn from original survey data across 28 NGOs in 18 countries: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanprc/article/PIIS3050-5143(26)00039-7/fulltext
Built and led the research function at a global health non-profit working to make professional community health workers the norm in low- and middle-income countries — growing the operation to 70 researcher-practitioners across 40+ countries. Led the largest ever economic evaluation review series of community health worker programmes — six papers published across BMJ Global Health, PLOS Global Health, and The Lancet Primary Care — providing the most comprehensive evidence base to date on the cost-effectiveness of CHW programmes. This work has contributed to 47 countries adopting proCHW policies out of a global target of 95. Produced the first-ever podcast series on data use in community health worker programmes, featuring the Gates Foundation, Living Goods, Dimagi, and the Fleming Initiative. Curated a monthly global health research digest reaching 6,500 readers. Advised the executive leadership team and reported quarterly to the board. Member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group for curriculum development. Part of the team awarded the 2025 Skoll Prize for Social Innovation and the 2024 Roux Prize. Select work: 1. Largest ever economic evaluation review of community health worker programmes — six papers across BMJ Global Health, PLOS Global Health and The Lancet Primary Care: https://joinchic.org/resources/cost-effectiveness/ 2. CHW Data Dialogues — first-ever podcast series on data in community health programmes, featuring Gates Foundation, Harvard Medical School, Imperial College London and more: https://joinchic.org/resources/chwdata/
Honorary faculty appointment recognising research contributions across global health systems, digital health, and AI in health.
Founded a digital health education company with a singular mission: make expert medical knowledge accessible to everyone, not just those with access to a doctor. Over ten years, built a community of 600,000 learners and 200 million organic video views — without paid media — becoming one of the UK's most-watched independent health education platforms. Recognised with an international award from Google Health for advancing health equity. Advised and partnered with healthcare, biotech, pharmaceutical and Fortune 500 companies on digital health communication strategy, running international campaigns and translating complex clinical science into content that reaches people where they are. Interviewed the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to launch the NHS 10 Year Plan. Speaker at 10 Downing Street, Google UK, the Royal College of Physicians, and Harvard University and with Members of Parliament to inform UK social media policies. One of two clinical creators from the UK invited to the 2024 YouTube Creator Summit in New York City. This work sits at the intersection of medicine, media, and technology — and increasingly, AI. The core question it raised: how do you design and deploy information tools that reduce health inequalities rather than deepen them? Links to select work: - Segment of interview with Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to launch NHS 10 Year Plan: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XTE7eML3GYc - Invited by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges as one of a small group of expert clinician content creators to co-author national guidelines on health information credibility and social media — a first for the UK medical establishment: https://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Credibility_health_information_social_media_310523.pdf
Maintained active clinical practice in memory disorders and dementia assessment alongside senior research and leadership roles — a deliberate choice to stay grounded in frontline patient care. Worked within a multidisciplinary team on diagnosis and treatment planning, contributed to clinical governance and care pathway audits, and developed digital patient education resources viewed by over 50,000 patients and families.
Invited by the World Health Organization as a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the development of the inaugural global community health worker curriculum guide — the first of its kind. Provided expert input across the full development cycle, from evidence mapping and country case studies to strategic review of the final prototype curricula. Worked with cross-functional, multinational teams from inception to delivery. Coordinated the involvement of over 20 community health workers from four countries to ensure the guide was shaped by the people it was designed to serve. Select work: WHO Global Curriculum Guide for Community Health Workers — inaugural WHO framework for CHW education and training worldwide: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240118065