Healthcare is moving fast. And as a profession, we have to be proactive instead of reactive to what’s occurring around us.
I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of health information, privacy, compliance, and technology, and I don’t know that there has ever been a more interesting — or consequential — time to do this work. Artificial intelligence is advancing at an extraordinary pace. The regulatory landscape continues to shift at both the federal and state levels. Privacy, cybersecurity, interoperability and data governance are increasingly connected to nearly every conversation about how healthcare evolves.
For health information professionals, I believe that creates an enormous opportunity.
It’s also one of the reasons I’m honored to have been elected President/Chair-elect of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), stepping into the role in January 2027. AHIMA represents professionals whose work touches an incredible range of functions across healthcare. We may sometimes think about health information management in individual pieces — coding, billing, privacy, compliance, data — but together, this profession supports so much of what healthcare organizations rely on every day.
I believe AHIMA has an opportunity to be an even stronger voice in healthcare by bringing that expertise together and making sure health information professionals are helping shape the changes happening around us.
AI may be the clearest example.
I sometimes think about where we were when the internet first emerged. At the time, it was difficult to imagine all the ways it would eventually reshape business, communication and everyday life. More than three decades later, we are watching another transformational technology develop — only this time, the pace feels even faster.
AI is absolutely exciting and terrifying at the same time.
The opportunity is tremendous, but so is our responsibility to get it right. We need thoughtful best practices around how AI should be used, and health information professionals need to be part of those conversations. We understand how health information moves, how it is protected and governed, and how decisions about that information ultimately affect both healthcare organizations and the patients they serve.
Our expertise matters as the industry determines what responsible adoption looks like.
Before I considered running for AHIMA President/Chair-elect, I knew the role would require a significant commitment beyond my day-to-day responsibilities. When I talked with Sharecare about the opportunity, the response was essentially: go do it. We support you 100%. I’ve been with the organization for a little over a year now, and from a career standpoint, joining Sharecare has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’m grateful to have the support to take on something like this while continuing the work I care about here.
I’m excited to get started, to listen, and to see where we can take the profession together.
Healthcare is changing whether we are ready or not. I want health information professionals to be ready — and, more importantly, for them to feel empowered enough to have a meaningful voice in determining where we go next.
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