JoAnn Klinedinst, Vice President Professional Development at HIMSS, and Michelle Dougherty, Senior Director Research and Development with the AHIMA Foundation, kicked off the event by providing an overview of the vocational opportunities available in Health I.T., the importance of continued professional development and how HIMSS and AHIMA are supporting efforts to produce a qualified Health I.T. workforce. 

Our next panel consisted of Pennsylvania and National Health I.T. Industry leaders (Robert Sheesley – Mylan, Robert Torres – Capital Blue Cross, Edith Dees – Holy Spirit Health System, Tom Valentine – eClinicalWorks, Marie Roof – Vibra Healthcare) who discussed the opportunities and challenges their organizations are finding related to Health I.T. staffing. 

After a brief networking lunch, a panel, that was led by Dr. Leann Field, University of Texas, highlighted what colleges and universities are doing to prepare students to become the next generation of Health I.T. workers. The other panelists for this session included Cathy Flite – Temple University, Shirley Cousino, Duquesne University and Dan Christopher – Penn College of Technology. 

The event concluded with a session that identified how other organizations including state government can support the development of a qualified Health I.T. workforce within Pennsylvania. This session emphasized the importance of looking at the opportunities that exist in training and hiring Veterans. The panelists for this session included Justin Leventry, Chief of Staff for State Senator Scott Hutchinson District 21; Wendy Huntoon, Executive Director KINBER; Jennifer Roseman, Vice President VetAdvisor and Jim Astor, Retired Air Force Colonel representing the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.   

Attendees of the event included students and faculty from Pennsylvania Colleges and Universities, staff from Healthcare providers as well as others such as vendors and staffing agencies. It was clear from the presentations as well as the questions and statements from attendees that there are opportunities for collaboration around Student and Workforce Health I.T. development. The Central PA HIMSS Chapter will continue to partner with other HIMSS chapters and others to support strategies intended to address the needs for a qualified Health I.T. workforce.

If you are interested in additional information about the event as well as supporting Health I.T. Student Workforce Development and Training activities please contact Matt McGeorge, CPA HIMSS Student Workforce Development Chair at mbmcgeorge@gmail.com

We have uploaded the event’s presentations to our website.

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