Dr. Waljee, who attended with his immediate and extended family, spoke of the journey from his birth home in Nairobi Kenya, to achieving this honor awarded by the regents of the University of Michigan. Raised by his mother (his dad passed away when Dr. Waljee was a child), Dr. Waljee spoke of his research and work being focused on encouraging the “humanity” in patient care.
Dr Waljee’s work in artificial intelligence uses methods such as machine learning and deep learning to improve decision-making for tailored and individualized care. His goal is to enable the delivery of efficient, effective, and equitable health care in low resource settings.
Dr. Waljee recently launched a partnership with colleagues at the Aga Khan University’s Kenya campus on a project called UZIMA-DS, short for Utilizing health information for meaningful impact in East Africa through Data Science. His Co-Lead is, Professor Amina Abubakar, who directs AKU’s Institute for Human Development. The NIH-funded UZIMA-DS aims to harness trailblazing computer technology that would improve care in local communities.
Dr. Waljee translated two Zulu greetings that are guiding principles in his care of others; Sawubona, which means “I see you,” and the formal response Sikhona, which translates to, “I am here to be seen.”
