2007 Scholarship Recipients

Read Their Stories

John Brown
CIO
Pacific Alliance Medical Center
Recipient of the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp Minority Scholarship

“I wish I had the opportunity to attend the CIO Boot Camp many years ago because its value was immediately apparent to me. The resources that I get through CHIME and what I learned at the Boot Camp have increased my worth to the hospital astronomically. It was invigorating to be able to learn from and talk to the dynamic faculty who taught the Boot Camp program.

Alone, the lectures, case studies, or reading material would have been worth attending the Boot Camp; together the three complemented one another perfectly. The Boot Camp also helped fill a void for me since I’ve never had a true CIO mentor. There were many questions that I had answered at the Boot Camp by CIOs that no one else could answer. The other thing that impressed me was that the faculty members walk in the same shoes that I do. Granted, their shoes may be much bigger than mine and are custom made, but at the end of the day they serve the same purpose. When they told me how they built an IS organization, or implemented change into the organization, or collaborated with internal and external customers, I believed them and learned from them.

After I returned from the Boot Camp program, I was able to tell my organization’s senior management about the contacts I made, the information we shared, and that I was the recipient of a very expensive and valuable minority scholarship. The CEO and rest of the team acknowledged that the time away was well spent.”

Woody Walker
IT Director
Halifax Community Health System
Recipient of the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp Minority Scholarship

My CIO has been involved in CHIME for years and I knew it was a great organization from what she shared with me, so I was really excited when I heard that there was a CHIME scholarship for minorities. I knew that if I won the scholarship I would be able to attend the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp, which is built around the model of the seven CIO Success Factors. I felt confident in my skills in three of the seven areas but really wanted some training in strategic planning, handling change and promoting collaboration in our department. I applied for the scholarship and won!

Upon arriving at the Boot Camp, I was thrilled to see that the program would be a mix of presentations, small group discussions, case-study, and interactive problem solving. I knew I would not be bored! The faculty members teaching the Boot Camp are some of the best and brightest CIOs in healthcare and I was honored just to hear what they had to say. The faculty was friendly and shared their experiences and email addresses in case we ever needed anything in the future. From them, I gained insight on leadership and how to complete a strategic plan that aligns with the organization’s goals.

Over the next twelve months, I took my new found skills and applied them at my organization. I completed my first strategic three-year road map for the Project Management Office and the Information Security Office. I focused on people and processes not just technology. The Boot Camp taught me that implementing a system was only the first step in a successful project. The improvement of processes and the change in culture is the real key to success! I can honestly say the Boot Camp turned o ut to be one of the best courses I had ever attended and taught me the essential skills and critical success factors required to be a future CIO.

Jan Neal
Former Regional CIO
Abrazo Healthcare/Vanguard Health Systems
Recipient of the Women’s Healthcare CIO Boot Camp Scholarship

“The experience of attending the CHIME Boot Camp as the recipient of the first Women's Scholarship was outstanding. I had heard such wonderful things about the Boot Camp and went into the experience with high expectations. Those expectations were exceeded!

I've been in the IT field for well over 25 years and am always striving to be of high value to the organization for which I work. After taking a new CIO job, I reviewed the Boot Camp agenda and it was clear to me that every one of the seven success factors was one that I knew would be important in my new role. The practical experience shared by the faculty and the networking with my peers was invaluable. I was able to apply and/or validate my approach to these critical areas in my workplace as a result. In addition, the experience enabled me a degree of introspection and to further delineate and assess the areas that I am strong in and those in which I need to focus.

I am very honored that I had opportunity to receive this scholarship, and am sincerely thankful for the wonderful experience. I highly recommend this Boot Camp to any professional that is currently a healthcare CIO or aspires to become one.”

Tracy Foy
VP and Chief Technology Officer
HealthSouth Corporation
Recipient of a John Glaser Scholarship

“I decided to apply for the John Glaser scholarship following my participation in the CHIME CIO Boot Camp. The Boot Camp experience provided valuable insight into continued career development and leadership opportunities that I it was felt important to continue. I felt that the Glaser scholarship award would allow me to participate in some additional leadership specific programs that would benefit my professional development and my role at HealthSouth that I would not otherwise have been able to attend.

With the scholarship, I am participating in the Momentum program that is conducted by the YWCA of Central Alabama. The program has provided valuable opportunities for reflection on my individual competencies and has provided tools and information to help strengthen and reinforce key leadership criteria. I have been able to apply some specific team building and delegation techniques to the organization I work for.

The CHIME scholarship and participation in the Momentum program has provided wonderful support and the opportunity for continued learning and applying information that is beneficial on a professional and personal level.”

Mark Halladay
Director, Information Services
Thompson Health
Recipient of a CHIME-Health Forum Fellowship

“Receiving one of the CHIME-Health Forum Fellowships and attending CHIME’s Healthcare CIO Boot Camp and Fall CIO Forum, in addition to the Health Forum Leadership Summit, will enable me to obtain excellent IT leadership education and networking opportunities that will help me step up to the CIO performance level.

I had a transformational experience at the Boot Camp and Fall Forum in San Antonio. After attending both, I am now striving to get to know who I need to, pushing myself, being bold, and taking risks. I will contribute what I can for and with CHIME to make a difference in healthcare through IT, fostering collaboration and innovation at the CIO level and beyond.

I developed a long list of takeaways by the time I boarded the plane at the San Antonio airport. I winnowed this to a short list in less than three weeks and identified five items to work on at my organization over the next year. I’ve also created a list of items I will stop doing: stop reading too many emails, stop directing too many things, and stop saying “no, because” and instead say “yes, if”. I will also be carefully considering my next steps for advancing CIO value-added contributions, and will be setting a personal career goal in the very near future.

Receiving the scholarship for me was a tremendous “feel-good” experience from the start, which continued everyday at the Boot Camp and the Forum, magnified by the faculty mentoring, CHIME camaraderie, and educational sessions. I came back to my organization transformed, with renewed vision and mission. Thank-you for a phenomenal opportunity and extremely beneficial experience!”