More women in STEM are using social media to speak out and build a community. Take the #ILookLikeAnEngineer hashtag, originated in 2015, that helped challenge stereotypes, according to NPR. Social media activism and connections can help bridge the gap between female professionals who may be a minority in their STEM fields.
The current contingent of females in health IT is a growing, active and diverse part of this community.
Perhaps no platform creates connectivity between health IT professionals like Twitter, where issue-based chats regularly spark discussion and professional bonds are forged through common interest. While LinkedIn is likely the platform you’d consider visiting for professional networking, Twitter provides a less formal, more open forum to have relaxed conversations and to create your own voice. It is here that some of the most influential females in health IT are spreading their personal brand of thought leadership and sharing their knowledge of how to navigate an industry that is still dominated by males.
If you’re in search of these female voices, look no further for a comprehensive list of leading women you need to follow.
An expert in nursing informatics, this former trauma nurse-turned-HIT-thought-leader regularly posts live broadcasts via Periscope during conferences and publishes articles and her own research via her website. The San Francisco native is known for her work in nursing informatics and as a HIMSS social media ambassador. Siarri frequently writes guest blogs and participates in chats. You’ll have no trouble spotting her in your Twitter feed courtesy of the custom art she creates signal that she has announcement to make, as you can see from the Tweet below.
Healthcare #DataPortability in #Nursing Care @innonurse #NursesWeek #Nurses4HIT via Connected Care Watch -> https://t.co/ThzTR12vzo pic.twitter.com/dscExSApJS
— Danielle Siarri (@innonurse) May 9, 2018
Unlike most of the other names you’ll see on this list, Morris does not have a massive following or a regular posting schedule. However, she’s perhaps one of the more authoritative voices out there, currently serving as Principal Deputy National Coordinator for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. She was named one of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare for 2017 by Health Data Management and is an expert on all things related to interoperability, particularly government efforts to fuel interoperability such as the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement.
A HIMSS Social Media Ambassador and host of TopLine MD TV, a digital health and wellness channel in Florida, Nayyar is also the Chief Medical Information Officer for Femwell Group Health. She was named one of the “26 smartest people in Health IT” by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2014 and one of the “Top 25 Minority Healthcare Executives” by Modern Healthcare. In addition to her well known social media exploits, she has blogged for Huffington Post and authored the mobile health chapter of the HIMSS Medical Informatics textbook.
A designer of healthcare strategies and information governance, Maynard is one of the more entertaining and active profiles you’ll encounter on HealthIT social media. Her use of bitmojis is good enough to make a teenager jealous and her regular contributions to a variety of healthcare-related chats are insightful and reflective of her work experience (see below). She’s currently serving as managing director of EnvisionCare Strategies where she works with emerging healthcare companies in a number of areas, from marketing to IT and governance.
Q2 Also, physicians should be able to seek help w/o fear of losing their jobs. I wrote earlier of physican protections under ADA but we know from a practical standpoint, physicians are targeted when they admit to burnout s/s #pwchat pic.twitter.com/rIjKoDONMA
— ShereeseM, MS/MBA (@ShereesePubHlth) May 9, 2018
A well-known thought leader and HIMSS social media ambassador, Stotsky is the CEO of a consultancy specializing in helping companies make the most of technology solutions. She’s a subject matter expert in healthcare marketing, specifically social media strategy and communications, but was once a leader in the early adoption of electronic medical records, health information exchange and other health IT technologies. She’s been ranked in the #HIT100’s list of health IT experts on social media a number of times and can regularly be found participating in HIT chats throughout the week.
An expert and advocate in the patient engagement arena, Ricciardi has worked in a variety of settings. Back in 2011 she was spearheading the ONC’s efforts to engage patients through the Consumer eHealth Program, an effort to get patients more involved in their care before they have health problems to address. Today, she’s back in the private sector as an entrepreneur and consultant, working with ventures that blur the lines between “business, policy, consumer advocacy and design,” according to her website.
Working as a Senior Expert at McKinsey & Company in Washington DC, Kahn specializes in Medicaid and social services. From her time as a Director of Data and Systems at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), she is well-versed in bridging the gaps between policy, operations and technology. She as in tune with state and national healthcare programs as just about anyone you’ll find on social media and recently spoke at HIMSS18 during a symposium titled “Leverage Points to Advance Interoperability.”
The current Administrator at CMS, Verma is leading some of the Trump administration’s most significant healthcare policies toward implementation, including the MyHealthEData initiative aimed at giving patient’s more control over their data. She’s also leading an overhaul of the meaningful use program. Prior to joining CMS, Verma was the founder and CEO of a health policy consultancy. While she may not be as active on social media, and you’re unlikely to interact with her in a chat, she is one of the most influential women in healthcare and health IT today.
