Staff Profile Page

About Dr. Tesfahun

Tesfahun Melese is an assistant professor of Health Informatics at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. He received his Ph.D. in Information Technology from Monash University, Malaysia in 2019; His MPH degree in Public Health Informatics from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia in 2010; and his BSc degree in Industrial Engineering from Mekelle University, Ethiopia in 2006.

Tesfahun has joined the University of Gondar as a graduate assistant II in 2007. Since then, he taught courses such as health system analysis and design, evidence-based practice, advanced topics in health informatics to health informatics students, and introduction to health informatics and computer application to health science students. Alongside his academic duties, Tesfahun worked as a data manager at the Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site also known as the Dabat Research Center at the University of Gondar until he went to Monash University, Malaysia for his Ph.D. study in 2014. Upon his return from Monash University in 2019, Tesfahun has been teaching courses such as eHealth, evidence-based medicine, and research methodology to postgraduate students as well as supervising postgraduate and undergraduate students on their research theses. Alongside his academic duties, Tesfahun is currently the director of the ICT Directorate at the University of Gondar

Tesfahun has been engaged in several research projects and produced scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals. He has also participated in and presented his research work at several international and national research conferences.

Administrative Position

1. Assistant Professor, Department of Health Informatics, University of Gondar (01/2007 – 11/2014 and 09/2018 – Present)
2. Director, ICT Directorate, University of Gondar (12/2024 – Present)
3. Data manager, Dabat Research Center, University of Gondar (01/2007 – 11/2014)
4. Coordinator, Dabat Research Center, University of Gondar (09/2020 – 01/2025)
5. Digital Health Director, Center for Digital Health and Implementation Science (formerly known as eHealth Lab Ethiopia), University of Gondar (03/2021 – Present)
6. Journal Manager, Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development Journal, University of Gondar (09/2023 – Present)

Grants and Awards

• Co-PI, Design and Development of Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities through Educational Platform: A Collaborative Research Project between Queen’s University and the University of Gondar, 2020
• Monash University Postgraduate Scholarship, 2014
• Principal investigator, web-based database archival system development grant, 2013

Students Supervision

• Secondary supervisor of three PhD students
• Main supervisor of four Masters students

Publication

1. Yilma, T.M., Inthiran, A., Reidpath, D.D. & Orimaye, S.O. (2019). Context-based interactive health information searching. Information Research, 24(2), paper 815. Retrieved from http://InformationR.net/ir/24-2/paper815.html
2. Yilma TM, Tilahun B, Mamuye A, et al. Organizational and health professional readiness for the implementation of electronic medical record system: an implication for the current EMR implementation in northwest Ethiopia. BMJ Health and Care Informatics. 2023. 20(1): e100723
3. Mamuye AL, Yilma TM, Abdulwahab A, Broomhead S, Zondo P, et al. (2022) Health information exchange policy and standards for digital health systems in Africa: A systematic review. PLOS Digital Health 1(10): e0000118
4. For more publication, please click his Google Scholar Profile

Presentation

• OpenHIE23 community meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 2023
• HELINA 2022 Conference on Leveraging digital health for public health emergencies within routine care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, virtual conference, 2022
• 21st Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, Langkawi, Malaysia, 2017
• Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, 2016
• International workshop on Data Management, Analysis, and sharing organized by International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health, Dubai, 2014
• Dissemination workshop on the four-year health and demographic surveillance report and cause of mortality for stakeholders and community at Dabat district, Ethiopia, 2013
• 3 Minutes Thesis Presentation, Melbourne, Australia