CURRICULUM VITAE

Dr Worku Jimma is an accomplished academic and researcher with over two decades of experience in information science, digital health, and higher education leadership. With experience serving as an Associate Professor at Jimma University, he has held multiple senior roles, including Postgraduate Studies Director and Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics at Jimma Institute of Technology. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals such as BMJ Health & Care Informatics, Digital Health Journal, and the Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, with research interests that intersect artificial intelligence, e-health, and knowledge management, whereby some of his works are on Interpretable AI and Explainable AI of disease diagnosis/early warning. He has also contributed to the initiation and development of Jimma University Research Portal (research-portal.ju.edu.et) in collaboration with OpenDevEd (UK), integrating AI-powered discovery tools and automated metadata curation.  His leadership combines data-driven decision-making with a commitment to institutional excellence and capacity building in Ethiopian higher education.

Education 

● PhD in Health Information Management, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran (2018)

○ Dissertation Title: System Development and Evaluation for Treatment Failure Risk Estimation among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Ethiopia. The research involved the development and evaluation of predictive models and proposed strategies for strengthening tuberculosis control.

● Master of Knowledge and Information Management, Ghent University, Belgium (2004)

○ Courses included; Knowledge and Information Systems, Hardware and Software Management, Advanced Web Technologies, Cooperative Document Management, Knowledge Management, and Introduction to Knowledge System Development.

● BSc in Agriculture (Animal Production and Rangeland Management), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (1994)

Professional experience

Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia 

Associate Professor at the Department of Information Science (May 2022 – Present)

• Supervises PhD students working on AI and Machine Learning applications in education and healthcare.

• Teaches Information Science and and Data Science courses.

• Coordinated curriculum development and PhD program revisions at the Jimma Institute of Technology.

Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science (Feb 2018 – Apr 2022)

• In addition to teaching, research and community service activities, served as Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics.

• Led curriculum design and validation for three new MSc programmes (AI, Data Science, and Software Engineering).

Lecturer, Department of Information Science (Jan 2012 – Feb 2018)

• Taught and supervised postgraduate students in Information and Knowledge Management and Electronic and Digital Resource Management.

• Actively involved in curriculum review processes.

Technical skills

• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Interpretable AI, Explainable AI (XAI), predictive modelling, early-warning systems for healthcare applications.

• Digital Health & Information Systems: Health information management systems (HMIS), electronic health records (EHRs), e-health system evaluation, data governance.

• Data Science & Analytics: Statistical modelling, data-driven decision support, research data management, knowledge discovery methods.

• Research Methods & Tools: Systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, academic writing and publishing, mixed-methods research design.

• Information Management & Knowledge Systems: Curriculum design, knowledge representation, and digital resource management.

Professional memberships

• Member, INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences): Applied to serve as an ABET Programme Evaluator to support quality assurance in higher education.

• Member, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T): Presented research on data-driven decision-making in Ethiopian universities at the ASIS&T Annual Conference (London, 2023).

Selected publications

1. Misganaw Tadesse Woldemariam, Amanuel Ayde Ergado, and Worku Jimma. Educational Technology Integration Strategies in Colleges of Teacher Education in Ethiopia. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. Vol 51(1). 2025. https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28880 

2. Zelalem Asfaw, Daniel Alemneh, Bekalu Ferede, Abu Santure, and Worku Jimma.  Implementing Data-Driven Decision-Making to Improve the Quality of Education in Ethiopian Higher Learning Institutions. International Journal of African Higher Education. Vol. 11(3). 2025. https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ijahe/article/view/17669

3. Misganaw Tadesse Woldemariam, Amanuel Ayde Ergado, and Worku Jimma. Factors influencing effective integration of educational technology in the colleges of teacher education in Ethiopia: A constructivist grounded theory. Australian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) Vol 42(2). 2025 https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.9993

4. Dereje Kaba Gurmessa and Worku Jimma. A Comprehensive Evaluation of Interpretable Artificial Intelligence for Epileptic Seizure Diagnosis Using an Electroencephalogram: A Systematic Review. Digital Health Journal. 2025 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20552076251325411

5. Tamene Fufa, Rahel Bekele, and Worku Jimma. Evaluation of the Health Management Information System Status and Effectiveness at Jimma University Medical Centre, 2018: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Horn African Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences (HAJHBS) Vol. 1 (1) (2024) https://www.hajhbs.sluchs.edu.et/index.php/hajhbs/article/view/18

6. Workineh Tesema, Worku Jimma. Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Johan Stiens and Bruno da Silva. A Taxonomy of Low-Power Techniques in Wearable Medical Devices for Healthcare Applications Journal of Electronics Vol 13 (15), 3097. (2024) https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13153097

7. Dereje Kaba Gurmessa and Worku Jimma. Explainable machine learning for breast cancer diagnosis from mammography and ultrasound images: a systematic review, BMJ Health & Care Informatics vol. 31 (1) (2024) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38307616/

8. Dereje Kaba Gurmessa and Worku Jimma. A Comprehensive Evaluation of Explainable Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Stroke Diagnosis: A Systematic Review, Journal of Cogent Engineering Vol 10(2). (2023) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311916.2023.2273088

9. Woldemariam, Misganaw Tadesse, and Worku Jimma. Adoption of electronic health record systems to enhance the quality of healthcare in low-income countries: a systematic review. BMJHhealth & Care Informatics vol. 30 (1) (2023): e100704. DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2022-100704

10. Amansisa Embabo, Worku Jimma and Chala Diriba. A self-learning knowledge-based system to mitigate the impact of drug interaction in type 2 diabetics. Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 10, Issue 3, page 241-250, (2022) https://www.hrpub.org/download/20220530/UJPH1-17626409.pdf

Honors and Awards

• Awarded a certificate and medal of the outstanding researcher on the 1st HEART Convention-2021 Competition from the Faculty of Computing and Informatics.

• Awarded a certificate and medal of the outstanding teacher on the 1st HEART Convention-2021 Competition from the Faculty of Computing and Informatics.

• Awarded a certificate and medal of the outstanding Indigenous Knowledge Researcher of Jimma University on the 1st HEART Convention-2021 Competition.

Institutional Services (Office holder, and ad-hoc/standing committee):

• Head of Department of Animal Feeds and Nutrition at Sinana Research Center,  Oromia Agricultural Research Institute; Head of Library and Archive Center of Institute of Oromo Studies at Jimma University.

• Dean of Faculty of Computing and Informatics at Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University.

• Postgraduate Director at Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University.

•  Jimma University strategic plan past performance evaluation committee member, 2021.

• Jimma University 10 years’ strategic plan core team member, 2021.

• Jimma Institute of Technology council member, since July 2020.

• Jimma Institute of Technology research board member, since 2021.

• Jimma Institute of Technology IOT’s differentiation document preparation committee co-chair, 2021.

• University Autonomy Charter development Committee Chare, 2025.

Hobbies: 

•  Walking

• Admiring nature

• Watching athletics competitions