Meet the 2019 Most Influential Women in Health IT

Dr. Hudak is the professor and director of the health informatics graduate program in the school of information at Kent State University. She has been in this role since 2012, in addition to her role there as a contributing interdisciplinary faculty member in the school of digital sciences. Dr. Hudak has more than 30 years of experience in the health informatics field, including project management, systems implementation, systems analysis, teaching and instructional development. She was involved in the first information system implementation of MetroHealth Medical Center in 1985.
Dr. Hudak is a HIMSS Fellow and a widely recognized author, co-author and invited presenter on health informatics. She is an assistant editor for the Online Learning Journal, editor of the Fourth and Fifth Editions of the HIMSS Dictionary of Health Information Technology Terms, Acronyms, and Organizations and peer reviews and contributes her expertise to a multitude of industry publications.
Dr. Hudak holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree in postsecondary education and a doctoral degree in urban education administration. She is a member of the HIMSS’s annual conference education committee, professional development committee, CPHIMS Technical Committee, the distance education committee, the legislation-regulation task force, the interoperability and the health information exchange leadership group. She is a certified CAHIMS/CPHIMS Review Course Instructor and a HIMSS annual conference reviewer. She is the previous president and the current chair of education for the Northern Ohio Chapter of HIMSS, where she has been on the board of directors since 2006.

Lygeia empowers consumers to be partners in their health through information and digital tools. Named among the Most Influential and Powerful Women in Health IT in 2019, she is a HIMSS Digital Influencer for 2020. She is the Chief Transformation Officer at Carium, a digital health company designed around consumers. Previously, she spearheaded Consumer eHealth policies at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lygeiaricciardi/

Denise Hines is an award-winning, nationally recognized expert in healthcare technology. She has more than two decades of healthcare experience in a variety of settings—including health systems, physicians’ offices, home health, technology vendors, consulting, state government and revenue management.

In 2011, Hines founded eHealth Services Group, a health technology consulting firm focused on leading healthcare delivery transformation through technology. The firm was engaged in 2013 to operate Georgia’s state-designated health information exchange, Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN), with Hines providing insight and strategy as the nonprofit’s executive director. Before forming eHealth Services Group, Hines was vice president of government solutions at HealthNovation and consulted for both AT&T and the Georgia Department of Community Health’s Office of Health Information Technology.

Hines demonstrates extensive experience in the field of health IT, previously overseeing and managing the marketing and outreach recruitment of more than 5,200 healthcare providers and 56 critical access and rural hospitals, assisting these providers in meeting meaningful use requirements and qualifying for the CMS EHR incentive program.

Hines participated on Georgia’s HIE Strategic and Operational Plan writing team and served as the co-chair of the HIE Governance Committee. She successfully launched Georgia’s first comprehensive health information transparency and HIE website. She served as the first executive director for the Georgia Health Information Technology Advisory Board and created Georgia’s two-, five-, and 10-year strategic plans for health information technology. She also created and implemented the Georgia HIE Grants Awards Program that awarded $1,800,000 in grants in the first and second years.

Hines recently served as a member of the HIMSS Board of Directors and the Chair Emeritus for HIMSS North America Board of Directors. She is the past president of the HIMSS Georgia Chapter, which was named the 2012 HIMSS Chapter of the Year. Hines also received the 2012 HIMSS Chapter Leader of the Year Award. In 2017, she was recognized with the prestigious Women of the Year in Technology – Small Enterprise Award from Georgia’s Women in Technology (WIT).

Hines holds her doctorate degree in healthcare administration where she focused her studies on the use of electronic personal health records and the impact on patient health. She also maintains certifications in project management, software development, and healthcare law. She is on the Board of Advisors for Georgia State University’s Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, as well as the Advisory Board for the College of Coastal Georgia. She is renowned for building service and results-oriented organizations with a passion for the widespread integration of technology and healthcare.