Founder | Principal Researcher | Platform Inventor

Post Doc, PhD in Trauma and Emergency Medicine

Dr. Sum Tecla Psusma is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Emergency-Taai, a pioneering frontier climate-health technology company dedicated to transforming emergency healthcare delivery for mothers, newborns and vulnerable populations across resource-constrained settings in Africa.

She leads the strategic vision and innovation agenda of the organization, driving the development of scalable, AI-powered solutions that strengthen health systems resilience, improve emergency response coordination, and protect children and families from the growing impacts of climate-related health emergencies

Dr. Sum Tecla Psusma is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Emergency-Taai, a pioneering frontier climate-health technology company dedicated to transforming emergency healthcare delivery for mothers, newborns and vulnerable populations across resource-constrained settings in Africa. She leads the strategic vision and innovation agenda of the organization, driving the development of scalable, AI-powered solutions that strengthen health systems resilience, improve emergency response coordination, and protect children and families from the growing impacts of climate-related health emergencies.

A distinguished researcher, innovator, medical educator and health systems expert, Dr. Psusma has built an exceptional career at the intersection of maternal and newborn health, emergency medicine, digital health innovation and implementation research. Her work focuses on addressing critical barriers that contribute to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths through intelligent emergency response systems, evidence-based interventions and technology-driven health service delivery models.

Dr. Psusma holds a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Emergency Medicine and Trauma Systems Management from Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland; a PhD in Medical Education (Trauma and Emergency Medicine) from Moi University in collaboration with Linköping University, Sweden; a Master of Science in Nursing (Maternal and Neonatal Emergencies) from Moi University; and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.

She currently serves as Director of the Science Park, Innovation and Incubation Centre (SPIIC) at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) and previously served as Chairperson of the Department of Paramedical Sciences and Emergency Medicine, where she spearheaded Kenya's first Bachelor of Science in Paramedicine programme and advanced innovation, research commercialization, and emergency medical education.

Her international collaborations span leading institutions in Finland, Sweden, the United States and Germany, the European Commission Erasmus+ Programme, the American Heart Association, Malteser International, Rutgers University, Linköping University, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the European Patent Office, and WIPO — where she has led collaborative research, innovation, emergency care capacity building, academic exchange, and technology transfer initiatives.

Dr. Psusma is the inventor of the AI-Enabled Emergency Response System for Resource-Constrained Environments, a platform designed specifically for low-resource African settings that integrates artificial intelligence, geospatial intelligence, real-time emergency coordination, clinical decision support, predictive analytics and community-based emergency networks to reduce delays in accessing life-saving maternal and neonatal emergency care.

Her extensive research portfolio spans maternal and neonatal health emergencies, emergency medical services (EMS), emergency care systems strengthening, digital health technologies, implementation science, health systems research, disaster preparedness, clinical quality improvement and healthcare innovation.

Beyond research and innovation, Dr. Psusma is a respected medical educator and curriculum development expert, having led curriculum development, academic programme reviews, mentorship initiatives and capacity-building efforts that integrate innovation, digital health, emergency care and climate resilience into healthcare education.

As an accomplished leader, Dr. Psusma has successfully led multidisciplinary teams, managed complex research and innovation projects, established strategic partnerships with government, academia, industry and development partners, and championed the translation of scientific research into sustainable, scalable solutions with measurable public health impact.

Through Emergency-Taai and the UNICEF Venture Fund Frontier Climate Tech for Children's Health initiative, Dr. Psusma is leading the development of next-generation climate technologies that safeguard maternal, newborn and child health, strengthen emergency preparedness, and accelerate progress toward resilient, equitable and sustainable healthcare systems across Africa. Driven by a vision that no mother or child should lose their life because emergency care is unavailable, delayed or inaccessible, she continues to champion innovations that harness artificial intelligence, climate technology and health systems transformation to create lasting impact for future generations.