Ketema Tafess is an infectious diseases professional and academician. He obtained his 1st degree in doctor of Veterinary Medicine and master degree in Tropical and Infectious Diseases from Addis Ababa University. Ketema serviced as a lecturer and research at Gondar University where he successfully supervised a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students. He later transferred to Arsi University at the post of Associate professor of Tropical and Infectious Diseases. In the University he headed the research and community service of College of Health Science of the University where he was latter promoted to serve as the University Vice Director for Research and Publication. He magnificently leads the University research team, restructured the research setup of the University, designed guidelines, and research procedures, and organized an international conference of the University. Over the course of his career, Ketema authored and co-authored a numbers of research papers on infectious diseases of major clinical importance like tuberculosis.

Currently, Ketema is a Ph.D. fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University undertaking his research on the genetics of drug resistant Tuberculosis.