HIMSS26

Colorado Lt. Governor and Policy Influencer Changemaker Award recipient Dianne Primavera says belonging to the Colorado HIMSS chapter has enabled her to work closely with other state healthcare and policy leaders.

Through work on AI literacy, governance and data management, Northern Ohio HIMSS' AI Center of Excellence seeks to enhance patient experiences and outcomes, says John Paganini, Global Patient Innovator Changemaker Award recipient.

While AI tools can help patients interpret their medical records, Altera Digital Health's Leigh Burchell, Policy Influencer Changemaker Award recipient, cautions patients against uploading data to non-HIPAA-compliant tools.

Julie Luengas, DNP, RN, Stony Brook Medicine CNIO and HIMSS Changemaker awardee, recommends that healthcare IT newcomers stay flexible and "take on every role possible" to learn about different processes and understand best practices.

Cedric Truss, Georgia State University educator and HIMSS Changemaker awardee, says that partnerships between healthcare organizations and academic institutions can ensure that students are better prepared to enter the industry post-graduation.

HIMSS-ACCE Changemaker Awardee Samantha Jacques, vice president of clinical engineering at McLaren Health Care, recommends that aspiring clinical engineers embrace technological change and continue to learn throughout their careers.

Health Equity Changemaker Awardee and Shift Collective co-founder Dr. Hannah Galvin says the collective is developing terminology value sets to allow patient data to be easily shared across the U.S., and, eventually, globally.

According to Dr. Vitaly Herasevich, Mayo Clinic professor and Chapter Leader Changemaker Awardee, successful healthcare leaders can align clinical and IT teams and act as "interpreters" between them to boost technology adoption.

Leaders new to healthcare IT should evaluate their organization's level of readiness, governance and infrastructure to determine what technology will work best and how to move forward, says Sepi Browning, HIMSS Changemaker awardee for veterans' health.

Unlike other organizations, HIMSS offers members and conference attendees opportunities to join active groups that drive meaningful change in healthcare, says Changemaker Awardee Hiyam Nadel of Massachusetts General Hospital.