Lola James, she/her
Class of 2026
lola.james@duke.edu
LinkedIn Profile >
Lola was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and graduated in the top 1% of her MSc Public Health class at the University of Lagos.
She was born with bronchial asthma and this traumatic childhood experience shaped her desire to make every day she can breathe unaided count for herself and other humans.
In the last 13 years, Lola has lived up to this commitment by leading a cancer prevention, and subsequently, an education nonprofit in Nigeria. During these times, she worked with businesses as well as local and state governments in the Western and Northern regions of Nigeria to sustain the social impact of these nonprofits’ programs. She has also applied her belief in the multi-sectoral approach to public health to lead numerous projects funded by the American Cancer Society (ACS), Pfizer, World Connect, and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Upon the completion of her dual-degree program, Lola will pivot into sustainability consulting. In this role, she plans to work as a tri-sector leader in the intersection of government, business, and nonprofit to help principal decision-makers choose how to efficiently allocate scarce resources in ways that maximize social impact and achieve the greatest good for the most people.
When she is not reading another self-help book or mentoring intentional young people, Lola can be found watching a romantic comedy or documentary, hosting friends to home-cooked meals, having brain-stimulating conversations, and playing board games.
Areas of Policy Interest:
Sanford Involvement:
Research Assistant for Resilience and Learning Project in NC Durham