Leila Akilah

Yemeni neuroscientist establishing AI-driven mental health networks in conflict zones

Dr. Leila Akilah's NeuroBridge Initiative represents a seismic shift in war zone psychiatry. Her AI-powered diagnostic chatbots, operating through basic SMS, have screened over 400,000 displaced Yemenis for PTSD using culturally-adapted machine learning models published in Nature Middle East.

Breaking from Western-centric approaches, Akilah developed the Arab Trauma Inventory (ATI) - the first psychological assessment framework incorporating Islamic spirituality metrics. This BBC-featured innovation increased treatment adherence by 62% in clinical trials across three governorates.

Her blockchain-secured telepsychiatry network, built using repurposed Saudi surveillance drones, delivers encrypted counseling sessions to 137 remote villages. This Reuters-documented system survived 23 airstrikes through decentralized node architecture - a revolution in humanitarian tech resilience now being adopted in Sudan.