The Physician behind the Mission
Dr. Bertha Serwa Ayi
Award-Winning CEO & Founder, Akoma Readers | Founder, Akoma for Life | Ayi Institute for Professional Education (AIPE)
Dr. Bertha Serwa Ayi is an award-winning physician-educator, board-certified Infectious Disease specialist, and founder of a multi-sector educational ecosystem spanning foundational literacy, professional training, and global health education. A clinician with over 30 years of experience, she serves as CEO and Founder of Akoma Readers, a subsidiary of the Ayi Institute for Professional Education (AIPE), and Founder of Akoma for Life, a Pan-African literacy and lifelong learning initiative.
Dr. Ayi graduated from the University of Ghana Medical School in 1996, where she received the Alcon Paracelsus Award in Ophthalmology, recognizing excellence in clinical performance and academic achievement. She has continued to receive recognition for community impact and contributions to society, including being honored as an Outstanding Alumni by her peers from the University of Ghana Medical School during the institution’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
Dr. Bertha Serwa Ayi is more than a clinician; she is a global health strategist, an author, and a bridge between medical science and public understanding. As a board-certified Infectious Disease specialist with an MBA in Health Services Administration, she operates at the intersection of high-level hospital leadership and grassroots community education.
She began her career as Medical Director of the Infectious Disease Program at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, where she also served as Hospital Epidemiologist, Chair of Infection Prevention Committees, and Medical Director of Employee Health. She held these leadership roles for many years before transitioning into private practice. From managing complex inpatient consultations across Iowa, North Dakota, Indiana, Maryland, and internationally, to advising the African Task Force on COVID-19 strategies, Dr. Ayi’s career is defined by a singular commitment: ensuring that life-saving medical knowledge reaches the people who need it most. She previously served as Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President of the Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America, where she expanded membership and pioneered Ghana–U.S. subspecialty collaboration platforms.She currently serves as President of the University of Ghana Medical Students Alumni Association.
Dr. Ayi is the author and founder of AKOMA 90, an innovative 90-day reading and multilingual language system designed to help children ages 3–6 achieve fluent reading before entering first grade. Built on structured phonemic instruction and cross-alphabet sound mapping, AKOMA 90 enables learners to read in any language using a unified method. Dr. Ayi strongly believes children can be taught to read before formal schooling to enhance success in education and that learners can develop multilingual literacy through her innovative phonemic tools spanning multiple alphabets.
AKOMA 90 is delivered both online and in print and is currently available in English, Twi, and Ga, with expanded multilingual mapping options including English–Ga, English–Twi, and English–Ga–Twi integrated learning pathways. These structured mappings allow learners to leverage a child’s natural capacity for multilingual acquisition during early development. Dr. Ayi believes this approach significantly enhances educational resilience, cognitive flexibility, and long-term academic performance, supported by well-documented research on multilingual and polyglot learners.
The program also serves as a powerful adult literacy tool, supporting adults learning to read for the first time or seeking literacy in their mother tongue. It is especially valuable for members of the diaspora who wish to read and write in their heritage languages. Conversational language tracks are also available for visitors, professionals, and learners who want to acquire practical spoken proficiency in local languages. The Akoma Readers mobile app supports on-the-go language learning, reinforcing AKOMA 90 instruction through interactive multilingual reading and practice tools.
Following AKOMA 90, the Akoma Readers series serves as the structured reading library supporting learners during the 90-day program, reinforcing fluency for graduates, and extending reading development far beyond foundational literacy. The Akoma Readers ecosystem includes more than 1,200 books spanning ages 3 through 18 years and covering Mathematics, Science, Life Sciences, Social Studies, Leadership, Arts, Values, and Ethics—creating a complete literacy-anchored educational pathway.
Dr. Ayi further expands this vision through Akoma for Life, a lifespan learning framework designed to support intellectual growth, character formation, and leadership across all stages of life:
- Akoma Thinkers (13–18 years) – Developing reasoning, identity, and critical thinking
- Akoma Perspectives (18–25 years) – Building judgment, direction, and life decisions
- Akoma Living (25–40 years) – Applying knowledge to career, family, and leadership
- Akoma Wisdom (40+ years) – Reflection, mentorship, and generational guidance
She is also the curator of the Akoma Round Table Podcast, a cross-generational dialogue platform featuring speakers from different life stages who share insights for successful living, leadership, decision-making, and lifelong learning. Through these initiatives, Dr. Ayi is strategically positioned to massively impact the thinking, values, and ideology of multiple generations of young people and emerging leaders.
Through AIPE and its affiliated programs, Dr. Ayi develops comprehensive educational content delivered both online and in person across multiple disciplines. Her portfolio includes medical education, Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease board review, MCAT and USMLE coaching, life and health insurance training, typing and digital literacy, Microsoft applications, artificial intelligence, leadership development, and professional coaching. Her work integrates academic rigor with practical workforce preparation, supporting learners from foundational stages through advanced professional certification.
Dr. Ayi collaborates with Ministries of Health, Ministries of Education, academic institutions, and professional organizations across Africa and globally to support institutional adoption of her innovative and engaging educational content. Her programs are designed for scalable implementation and delivered in a thoughtful, culturally grounded manner across multiple languages to meet diverse national and community needs.
Dr. Ayi’s work sits at the intersection of literacy, medicine, technology, and leadership. Her mission is to build scalable educational systems that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and create a multilingual Pan-African foundation for lifelong learning.
Bookings & Partnerships:
To book speaking engagements, institutional partnerships, consulting, or educational collaborations, visit www.Berthaayi.com
Clinical Expertise & Academic Foundation
Dr. Ayi’s medical journey began at the University of Ghana Medical School, followed by a residency at the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland. She completed her Infectious Disease Fellowship through the combined program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University.
She began her career as the Medical Director of the infectious Disease Program and Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, where she was also the hospital Epidemiologist and chair of the infection Prevention Committees and Medical Director of Employee Health. She did this for many years before transitioning into Private Practice.Today, she shares that expertise as a Senior Lecturer and Adjunct Assistant Professor at institutions across two continents, including the University of North Dakota, the Accra College of Medicine, and the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)
A Leader of Global Health Initiatives
Dr. Ayi has consistently stepped into leadership roles during the world’s most challenging health crises. She served as a critical voice during the Ebola and Zika outbreaks and continues to shape healthcare policy through several key appointments:
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President: University of Ghana Medical School Alumni Association.
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Board Member: Mercy Ships International.
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Past President: Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America (where she quadrupled membership and expanded subspecialty support).
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Medical Director: Leading sepsis and clinical initiatives that have standardized care across regional hospital systems.
Author and Media Educator
Dr. Ayi believes that a doctor’s work shouldn’t end at the hospital doors. She is a prolific author, known for her book "MRSA Killer Bug" and her contributions to the definitive textbook Infections of Leisure.
To combat medical misinformation, she maintains an active YouTube channel and has served as a daily health contributor for major networks like TV3 Ghana and GTV. By discussing complex health issues in multiple languages, she ensures that her community remains informed, empowered, and healthy.
She is also the founder of Akoma Readers, a multilingual literacy and learning system designed to ensure every child can read within 90 days and progress into a full pathway of thinking, exploration, and creation.
She works at the intersection of education, language, and system design, building scalable solutions that align with national education frameworks and can be implemented across Africa.
Akoma is currently developed across multiple Ghanaian languages and is designed for national rollout through partnerships with government, teacher training institutions, and language bodies.
Recognized Excellence
Her dedication has been honored with numerous awards, including the 2023 Alumni Impact Award, the Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Distinction Award, and the Black Excellence Award. She is a proud Fellow of both the Infectious Disease Society of America (FIDSA) and the American College of Physicians (FACP).
