Engineer builds healthtech after witnessing systemic failures
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Damilola Oyenekan of GE HealthCare shifted from pursuing a medical degree to engineering healthcare solutions after witnessing inadequate resources hinder patient care at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Nigeria.
At age 14, a career placement at LASUTH revealed to Oyenekan that even skilled doctors are limited by broken systems. This experience led her to focus on building the infrastructure needed to support effective healthcare, rather than becoming a doctor herself.
Oyenekan pursued studies in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States, where she earned a degree in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota. While in school, she led the National Society of Black Engineers, focusing on supporting minority students and establishing corporate connections. These efforts led to internships at Genentech and, after graduation, a full-time position as a Quality Engineer at Medtronic.
From Medtronic, Oyenekan transitioned into the field of artificial intelligence, working at Cleerly and then Google Health, where she contributed to projects aimed at improving healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries. Currently, as a Technical Program Manager at GE HealthCare, she oversees AI initiatives and collaborates on global health projects.
Oyenekan aims to return to Nigeria and address the lack of digital health infrastructure, advocating for a unified system of digital records to improve patient care and enable local participation in healthcare technology development.
