Healthcare Information Management Systems Society Recognizes HIMSS 2024 Changemakers in Health Award Recipients

February 29, 2024 — The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society, HIMSS, recently announced it HIMSS 2024 Changemaker in Health Awards and scholarship recipients, according to an announcement published Jan. 25 by the organization. In so doing, HIMSS reports the awards — presented in 12 categories — recognize those helping transform the global health ecosystem, and “celebrates inspirational and innovative healthcare leaders for their relentless pursuit to improve care by harnessing the power of information and technology.” The statement detailing the awards congratulated the winners, adding, “HIMSS Changemakers are inspiring leaders who rigorously challenge the status quo in their journey to build a brighter health future.”

The 2024 HIMSS Changemaker Award Recipients across 12 categories include:

HIMSS Chapter Advocate Volunteer Award

Christopher Kunney, CPHIMS, FACHDM, MSMOT, Advocacy Chair, HIMSS Georgia Chapter, Atlanta, GA

HIMSS Chapter Leader Volunteer Award

Kendall Brown, Southeast Sales Director, Centrak, HIMSS South Florida Chapter, Miami Beach, FL

HIMSS Global Patient Innovator Award

Grace Cordovano, PhD, BCPA, Co-Founder, Unblock Health, West Caldwell, NJ

Guido Giunti, MD, PhD, MBA(c), NeuroInsight MSCA Fellow, Trinity College Dublin, Adjunct Professor, Digital Health, University of Oulu, Dublin, Ireland | Oulu, Finland

HIMSS Health Equity Award was presented to the following 5 persons:

Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, FASA, FAMIA, FCPP, Senior Associate Dean and Director, Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, Professor, Anesthesiology at Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Marina El Khawand, Founder and President, Medonations, Beirut, Lebanon

Gabriel Garcia-Lopez, MSHI, CPHIMS, Health Information Systems Director, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Los Angeles, CA

Monika Sonu, DR, Co-Founder and Director, New Product Development, Healthinnovation Toolbox, Bengaluru, India

Donald Warne, MD, MPH, Co-Director, Center for Indigenous Health, Professor, Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD

HIMSS John A. Page Distinguished Fellow Award

Olga Kagan, PhD, RN, CIMI, FAAAAI, FHIMSS, Fellow NYAM, Associate Adjunct Professor and Consortial Faculty, CUNY School of Professional Studies, New York, NY

HIMSS Partner Award: HIMSS-ACCE Excellence in Clinical Engineering and Information Technology Synergies Award

Christopher Falkner, MS, CCE, Sr. Director, Digital Strategy and Cybersecurity, SODEXO, Adjunct Professor, UCONN, Livermore, CA

HIMSS Partner Award: HIMSS-AMDIS Physician Executive Leader Award

Eve Cunningham, MD, MBA, Group Vice President and Chief of Virtual Care and Digital Health, Providence, Renton, WA

HIMSS Partner Award: HIMSS-ANI Nursing Informatics Leadership

Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, Professor and Dean, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

HIMSS Policy Influencer Awards were presented to four individuals:

Patricia MacTaggart, MBA, CAHIMS, Teaching Instructor/Program Director, Masters in Administration/Masters of Public Health at George Washington University, Washington, DC

Alexandra Mugge, MPH, Chief Health Informatics Officer and Director, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), St, Johns, FL

Abigail Norville, Deputy Secretary-General, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport at The Hague, The Netherlands

Cátia Pinto Sousa, MD, Head of Global Digital Health and International Affairs, Shared Services of the Ministry of Health of Portugal (SPMS, EPE), Lisbon, Portugal

HIMSS Most Influential Women in Health IT Award recognized five women this year:

María Carolina Aguirre, MD, MS, Chief Medical Information Officer, FCV-HIC (Hospital Internacional de Colombia), Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia

Ellen Arigorat, DNP, NI-BC, Program Director-Nursing Informatics, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY

MaryAnn Connor, MSN, RN, NI-BC, CPHIMS, FAMIA, FHIMSS, Senior Director, Nursing Informatics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Adjunct Professor, Graduate Nursing Informatics at New York University, New York, NY

Rachelle Landry, MBA, BSN, RN, FACHE, LSSYB, CLHP, Clinical Transformation Vice President, BD, Denver, CO

Emily C. Webber, MD, FAAP, FAMIA, Chief Medical Information Officer, IU Health and Riley Children’s Health, Indianapolis, IN

HIMSS Senior Executive Awards acknowledged these 5 winners:

Emily Barey, MSN, RN, Vice President of Nursing, Epic, Verona, WI

Adam Chee, PhD, MSc, MBA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Priscilla A. Frase, MD, CMIO/Hospitalist, Ozarks Healthcare, West Plains, MO

Bryant Thomas Karras, MD, FACMI, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Washington State Department of Health, Seattle, WA

Nada Milosavljevic, MD, JD, CMO, Safe Health Systems, Scottsdale, AZ

2024 HIMSS Foundation Scholarships were presented to the following students.

Masters Scholarship Recipient: Colleen Shannon, University of Denver, Denver, CO; Major: Health Informatics & Digital Health

Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient: Thomas Bloodgood III,  University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV; Major: Healthcare Administration

Launched in 1996, the HIMSS Foundation reports that it has supported 65+ students with $260,000+ in scholarships to pursue their education in digital health, information and management systems. We have provided hands-on training to 150+ students, helping guide health policy and informatics education. Beginning in 2021, the HIMSS Foundation funded $25,000 for two educational programs to increase the diversity in the digital health workforce: the HIMSS Professional Certification Grant for Minority Professionals and Students, and the Emerging Healthcare Leaders Program.

More information: www.himss.org

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Follow all of the ITN HIMSS 2024 news here.