Engineer Oluwaseyi Oluwajuwon Ola, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BossmanSwift LLC has been conferred with the prestigious award of the “Trailblazer Award for Cultural Mental Health Innovation”.
Engineer Oluwajuwon Ola received the award at the 10th Annual African Mental Health Summit ,MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.
The honor, according to the organisers, was in recognition of his visionary leadership in designing and launching the Trusting Cultural Expansion for Coordinated Community Mental Health Intervention (TECCMEH) — a platform that is rapidly transforming how African immigrant and refugee youth in the U.S. access culturally responsive mental health and substance use disorder services.
Mr. Ola in his keynote address said “this is more than just an award, “this is a call to action—for all of us to expand access, break the silence, and uplift the mental wellness of our communities using tools that reflect their reality, dignity, and culture.”
He said African diaspora, particularly within newly settled immigrant and refugee families, mental health is still too often stigmatized, misunderstood, or entirely inaccessible.
According to him ,”TECCMEH is a digital bridge—one that connects vulnerable populations with the culturally grounded care they need and deserve. Available at www.teccmeh.com, the platform was engineered with a mission: to expand and enable coordinated community mental health access among African immigrant and refugee populations, addressing longstanding and systemic barriers that have marginalized these communities in traditional healthcare systems.
“Unlike many digital mental health tools that offer a “one-size-fits-all” model, TECCMEH was built from the ground up with the African immigrant and refugee experience at its heart. Engineer Oluwaseyi Ola, drawing on his dual expertise in computer science and cultural mental health strategy, designed TECCMEH not merely as a tech solution—but as a movement. A shift. A tool of empowerment.
“Across the African diaspora, particularly within newly settled immigrant and refugee families, mental health is still too often stigmatized, misunderstood, or entirely inaccessible.
“From language and literacy challenges to cultural dissonance in understanding illness, to legal and economic barriers—many young people and families suffer in silence.
“TECCMEH directly addresses these obstacles by offering: Culturally tailored mental health screening and referral tools
Youth- and family-centered user experience Integration with schools, clinics, and community-based service providers
Through its design, TECCMEH empowers users to navigate mental health and substance use resources confidently—whether in Somali, Amharic, Oromo, French, or English—without fear of stigma, misunderstanding, or legal intimidation.
“The impetus behind TECCMEH lies in a deeply concerning yet often overlooked reality: African immigrants and refugees in the U.S. face disproportionately high barriers to healthcare access, including:
“Cultural misunderstandings between providers and patients Legal status restrictions and fear of public systems Chronic poverty and social isolation
Untreated trauma and intergenerational grief. Numerous studies, including data from PIR and community partners, show that these populations are far less likely to seek or receive adequate mental health care. In the words of one parent interviewed during a TECCMEH pilot, “When my son had nightmares and sadness, I did not know where to go. I was afraid. This app gave me hope.”