Inside CHIME: CHIME Members Honored As Most Powerful Women in Health IT

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Weinstock 70x70 4.13.16 by Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

National publication recognizes CIOs and health IT leaders for their vision, passion and commitment to improving healthcare.

Health Data Management last week unveiled its list of the “Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT.” Impressively, 34 of the honorees in the CIO and health IT leader category are CHIME members, including board members Cara Babachicos, Myra Davis, Liz Johnson, Theresa Meadows and Donna Roach. A number of CHIME Foundation firms were also represented in the “Thought Leaders” category.

“I am honored to be identified by HDM and to be included with a group of women who are unbelievable leaders in the healthcare industry,” said Donna Roach, CHCIO, chief information officer at Via Christi Health. “I am very appreciative of the networking and mentoring they have provided me throughout my career.”

The award recognized major accomplishments the CIOs have had throughout their careers, as well as their overall impact on health IT. For instance, HDM editors acknowledged Davis’ work in partnering with clinical and quality leaders at Texas Children’s Hospital to “drive data-based performance improvement projects that are improving patient outcomes and reducing costs.” The editors highlighted Johnson’s leadership role in CHIME – she’ll serve as board chair in 2017 – and at the federal level as a member of HHS’ Health Information Technology Standards Committee.

“CHIME continues to embrace the kind of leadership that represents a rare combination of IT expertise and an extensive knowledge of the clinical experience,” said Johnson, R.N., FCHIME, CHCIO, CIO of acute care hospitals and applied clinical informatics, Tenet Healthcare. “Many women working in leadership roles in IT have clinical backgrounds – I am a nurse – and bringing this type of experience to the CIO roundtable means the introduction of new ideas, creation of new associations, establishing new opportunities to work together in terms of diversity in thought and in creativity.”

In announcing the awards, HDM noted that while there is more public awareness about the need for gender diversity in the executive ranks, women continue to lag behind men in holding leadership position in healthcare. A goal of the awards is to shine a spotlight on the impact these leaders have on the industry.

“Women technology leaders should aim for a culture of inclusiveness,” said Davis, senior vice president and CIO, Texas Children’s Hospital. “Because we work in a field that is predominately male, women leaders need to have an open mind about inclusiveness. Let’s not let our gender difference be an excuse for who or where we are.”

More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 15: