From rural Ethiopia to American hospital wards.

Where it began

Dr. Dere's journey began at Addis Ababa University School of Medicine in Ethiopia. His earliest years were spent practicing in rural Ethiopia, where he learned a lesson that never left him: most suffering from chronic disease is not inevitable. It is the end result of problems that could have been found earlier and treated sooner.

The hospital years

After training in the United States, Dr. Dere became a hospitalist — caring for the sickest patients at their most vulnerable moments. Over thousands of admissions, a pattern emerged: the heart attack at fifty-four had announced itself for fifteen years. These were not sudden tragedies but slow ones, unfolding in plain sight while a fragmented system managed each warning sign in isolation — one doctor for the heart, one for the kidneys, one for the sugar, and no one for the person.

Every day I cared for patients after the heart attack. After the stroke. After kidney failure. After years of diabetes. Eventually I realized something. Medicine was seeing people too late. WellifyCare was created so we can meet years earlier.

Medicine, meet technology

As a physician trained in Health Informatics, Dr. Dere believes technology should strengthen — not replace — the physician-patient relationship. Remote monitoring, connected devices, data visualization, and artificial intelligence allow earlier intervention and more personalized care, while keeping the human relationship at the center. At WellifyCare, the technology works quietly in the background so the conversation in the room can go deeper.

Training & credentials

• Doctor of Medicine — Addis Ababa University School of Medicine
• Board Certified — Internal Medicine (ABIM)
• Board Certified — Obesity Medicine (ABOM)
• Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI)
• Practicing hospitalist physician

Beyond the clinic

Dr. Dere is a husband, a father, a man of faith, and an active member of Wisconsin's Ethiopian-American community, where he volunteers in free-clinic and physician-mentorship initiatives. Teaching and community outreach are woven into everything WellifyCare does.