Advancing the Future of Telehealth and Public Health Innovation in Africa…
The West Africa Tech Excellence Forum (WATEF) has officially announced Dr. Leesi Saturday Komi as one of the distinguished judges for the WATEF Hackathon 2022, an event designed to accelerate African innovation through collaboration, creativity, and real-world impact. Dr. Komi’s selection for the Telehealth and Public Health Innovation categories recognizes his significant contributions to advancing equitable healthcare access through scalable telemedicine solutions that have connected thousands of patients across diverse regions to essential care.
His career stands as a bridge between traditional medicine and technology-enabled public health, bringing together experience, research, and an unwavering commitment to community-centered innovation.
The WATEF Hackathon 2022, hosted under the umbrella of the West Africa Tech Excellence Forum, continues to serve as one of the continent’s most important stages for celebrating innovation that solves African problems through African ingenuity. This year’s hackathon focuses on health technology, data systems, sustainability, and inclusive development, with participants from universities, startups, and research centers across West Africa.
The event seeks to identify solutions that enhance healthcare delivery, improve data interoperability, and promote equitable access to services through digital transformation. Within this landscape, the Telehealth and Public Health Innovation categories hold a particularly vital role as they capture the power of technology to extend care to those who have long been left out of the healthcare system.
It is within this high-impact category that Dr. Leesi Saturday Komi brings his expertise, providing insight, analytical rigor, and real-world understanding of how digital health solutions can be scaled sustainably in low-resource environments.
Why Dr. Leesi Saturday Komi is a Perfect Fit for the Judging Panel
Dr. Komi’s inclusion in the WATEF Hackathon 2022 judging panel is no coincidence. His professional record reflects years of patient-centered practice, systems design, and digital health strategy that directly align with WATEF’s mission to spotlight innovation with measurable social impact.
He is a physician, researcher, and healthcare innovator whose approach to telemedicine has shaped how communities engage with modern healthcare tools. Known for his commitment to health equity and data-driven decision-making, Dr. Komi’s work integrates medical science with technology, ensuring that care delivery remains both accessible and humane.
As a judge in this year’s Telehealth and Public Health Innovation categories, he will assess projects not only on their technical feasibility but also on their real-world value, safety, and cultural relevance. His perspective will help innovators refine their ideas to ensure they can be implemented effectively and ethically at scale.
Career and Impact in Telehealth and Public Health
Dr. Komi’s professional path demonstrates a deep and sustained engagement with healthcare innovation. After earning his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Lugansk State Medical University in Ukraine, he began his medical career at the International Multi-Profile Clinic in Kyiv, where he provided comprehensive care to a diverse patient base and developed systems that improved clinical documentation and follow-up care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a leading role in the clinic’s telehealth response, ensuring continuous patient access through digital platforms and remote triage protocols.
By 2022, his experience in technology-driven healthcare positioned him as Telehealth Director at Medihause Health Services Ltd. in Abuja, Nigeria. There, he designed and implemented one of the country’s most ambitious telehealth programs, connecting over 42,000 patients across 27 rural and underserved communities with qualified healthcare professionals. His work significantly reduced travel burdens, improved access to consultations, and enhanced preventive health services in both Northern and Southern Nigeria.
One of his most impactful innovations was the introduction of multilingual telehealth support, enabling patients to access services in Hausa, Yoruba, and Pidgin English. This approach broke linguistic and cultural barriers that had long limited access to quality healthcare, especially for rural populations. His leadership also extended to training over 300 community health workers and nurses in the use of digital health tools, improving patient trust and continuity of care.
At every stage of his career, Dr. Komi has shown a capacity to merge empathy with evidence, designing solutions that put people at the center of digital transformation. His models of care continue to influence public health program design across Africa and beyond.
Research, Publications, and Academic Leadership
Beyond fieldwork, Dr. Komi has made significant scholarly contributions to global health research and thought leadership. He has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications exploring the use of technology in healthcare delivery, including frameworks for telemedicine adoption in low-resource settings, AI-assisted patient management systems, and digital diagnostics in public health response.
His 2021–2022 publications include studies on telemedicine for displaced populations, digital maternal health interventions, and community-led virtual health education. Through this body of work, he has consistently advocated for innovation that serves both clinical outcomes and human dignity.
Dr. Komi also serves as an Approved Editor and Reviewer for several international journals covering Public Health, Health Systems, and Digital Healthcare Innovation. His editorial and peer-review expertise has contributed to maintaining high academic standards in studies addressing the intersection of technology and healthcare policy. His influence within academic circles reinforces WATEF’s principle that innovation must rest on research, rigor, and responsibility.
Aligning His Vision with WATEF’s Mission
The West Africa Tech Excellence Forum was founded to promote African-led innovation across technology, sustainability, and social impact. Its mission aligns closely with Dr. Komi’s lifelong goal of using technology to close health gaps, build resilience, and improve quality of life.
His work illustrates the principles WATEF champions: collaboration across disciplines, data-informed decision-making, and a commitment to inclusion. His experiences in Ukraine, Nigeria, and the United States give him a global lens, enabling him to evaluate how Africa’s emerging digital health solutions can compete and thrive internationally.
As part of the WATEF Hackathon 2022 judging panel, Dr. Komi joins other distinguished professionals in evaluating groundbreaking projects aimed at transforming healthcare across the region. His presence ensures that submissions are judged not only by technical brilliance but also by their capacity to deliver sustainable and ethical impact.
Shaping the Future of Health Innovation in Africa
Dr. Leesi Saturday Komi’s participation in the WATEF Hackathon 2022 represents more than recognition of his personal achievements; it reflects a broader narrative about Africa’s growing influence in global health innovation. His career embodies the forward momentum of a new generation of healthcare professionals who see technology not as a luxury but as a necessity for inclusive progress.
As the WATEF Hackathon convenes innovators across the continent, Dr. Komi’s role on the judging panel will help identify ideas capable of transforming telehealth and public health systems in lasting ways. His approach, rooted in equity, ethics, and evidence, will ensure that the winning solutions from this year’s event are not just visionary but viable, able to reach communities where the need is greatest.
The West Africa Tech Excellence Forum celebrates Dr. Leesi Saturday Komi’s selection as a judge for the 2022 Hackathon and looks forward to the insight and integrity he will bring to the panel. His leadership continues to demonstrate what is possible when medicine, technology, and purpose meet and why Africa’s innovation story is just getting started.
