Awardees from around the globe gathered at HIMSS25 Stage 7 and DHI Achievement Reception to discuss their journey toward achieving HIMSS Stage 6 and 7 validations, while enhancing care accessibility and adopting transformative technologies.
Panelists and attendees, including the director of innovation at Northwestern Medicine and director of medical intelligence and innovation at Rady Children's Health, reflect on presentations and discussions had at the Preconference Forum.
According to Anne Snowdon, chief scientific research officer at HIMSS, hospitals wishing to implement AI require sufficient IT infrastructure, strong leadership and governance frameworks, and talented staff who can use the tools safely.
Jong-Soo Choi, CTO of Korea's Samsung Medical Center, says he believes AI can enhance healthcare delivery, but that technical issues related to accessing the cloud and proper handling of patient data must be overcome first.
Although some patients and clinicians are hesitant to accept the use of AI in behavioral health, Dr. Colin Banas, DrFirst's chief medical officer, says AI can help customize outreach messages and educate patients about medication.
The pandemic highlighted nurses' importance for care delivery, but Mary Joy Garcia-Dia, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's program director of nursing informatics, calls on leaders to do more to advocate for nurses and help them stay resilient.
The lack of a strong set of AI-specific regulation in the U.S. allows innovation to happen quickly, but that also requires companies to be transparent and for the industry to take responsibility for its own actions, says Mika Newton, CEO of xCures.
Nelita Iuppa, Cleveland Clinic's executive director of informatics and a 2025 HIMSS Changemaker Award recipient, advises aspiring health IT leaders build relationships, document their journeys to learn from the changes they've made and embrace flexibility as new tools emerge.
According to Julia Zarb, Blue x Blue CEO and founder, embracing complexity, developing strong analytical skills and understanding common sensibilities and values can help newcomers succeed in the health IT field.
Data modernization, transformation, interoperability, the use of the digital health indicator, the importance of collaboration and policy, were on the minds of health leaders at the HIMSS25 Public Health Data Modernization Forum.
