Laure Beyala, the Franco-Cameroonian engineer promoting digital health

Laure Beyala, a biomedical engineer, promotes digital health in Africa through E-Santé Expertise. A platform she founded in 2021 to transform health-care systems by leveraging new technologies.

Today, Africa’s healthcare systems face a shortage of professionals, as well as outdated practices that need to be modernised to enable individuals to enjoy their right to health. Laure Beyala has spearheaded this issue, setting up E-santé Expertise in 2021 to promote digital health across the continent. According to the expert, this innovation has the potential of curing the flaws of Africa’s healthcare systems. “Digital health, as an innovative technology, offers adaptive and promising solutions that help save lives while taking into account the specificities of our African contexts”,she explains to Africa Women Experts. Not only does it enable access to healthcare via ICTs (teleconsultations, mobile health) and capacity-building, but it also allows access to employment…

Training to promote digital health

E-santé Expertise provides short and long-term digital health training courses that are open to both healthcare professionals and the public. The aim is to significantly increase the number of professionals specialising in this field,” stresses Laure Beyala. After opening a master’s degree in “Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence” a year ago, the platform has also launched short, affordable training certification courses, accessible through its digital campus. These courses, taught by professionals in the area and teachers, have drawn many students, particularly women, who are increasingly demanding them,” says the Franco-Cameroonian. Launched just 3 years ago,the platform currently benefits from a few partnerships in Europe, as well as in Africa, notably with the Catholic University of Central Africa.

In 2024, she will be launching the Committee of International Experts in Digital Health for Africa, to ensure that the platform is as close as possible to the training needs of the local population. But in addition to training, the Franco-Cameroonian is also raising awareness of the issue among African public authorities through the media. “A reassessment of training programs in health institutions by current African leaders is essential. I believe it is necessary to incorporate certain programs focusing on innovation and digital health into current training courses”, she emphasizes.

In addition to Africa, she also puts her knowledge at the service of European countries, such as France and Germany, which she has supported on issues such as medical desertification.“We have almost identical challenges in Europe and Africa, albeit on different scales. Given the density of populations in certain places of Europe, we may confront similar issues as in certain African cities. We need digital health just as much in these countries,”she adds. She was an expert at the French High Authority for Health and now advises the European Commission.

From Yaoundé to Paris, from electrical engineer to digital health expert

Arriving in France after a scientific high school degree and preparatory classes at Prépa Vogt in Yaoundé, Cameroon, she joined ESIGELEC, a French engineering school.  After completing a three-year engineering course, she graduated in electrical engineering.

She subsequently gained professional experience in various industries and laboratories, notably Sanofi, as well as in start-ups such as Visiomed, which specialises in innovative healthcare technologies and services, and major groups such as General Electric…

In 2015, she completed a professional thesis under the supervision of École Centrale Paris and Centrale Supélec on “connected objects in health” which was rewarded with a distinction from the European Commission. A thesis which led to her first work, “digital health: connected objects in health: risks, uses and perspectives” in 2018. In 2022, she published her 2nd work, “digital therapy”, focused on innovations in digital health, artificial intelligence.

Laure Beyala, who was French-African Foundation’s Young Leader in 2021, is pursuing her dream of revolutionizing healthcare systems on her continent through digital technology via her platform.

Danielle France Engolo