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On November 19th, we had the pleasure of co-sponsoring this year's TAG Digital Health Signature Event: TACKLING HEALTH DISPARITIES EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN, CHILDREN AND RURAL POPULATIONS. The topics discussed at this event are so important to this community, and we appreciate every individual who spoke at this event. Our students took away so much from your expertise.

A huge thank you to everybody involved in making this happen, and thank you to Sweta Sneha, PhD for always providing these opportunities to our students. And thank you to Millena Da Silva and Tonya Clark, MBA for helping extend these professional development opportunities.

We had the privilege of celebrating two HMI alums get honored at this year's Five in Flight, hosted by Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business. Both Faisal Saleem and Brandie Szuda were awarded the GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award! They are exemplary representations of our program, and we could not be prouder of them! Congratulations, and keep moving the needle and being a force for good in the Digital Healthcare space!

In their speeches, both Faisal and Brandie attributed their success to the support system around them, in no small part played by Sweta Sneha, PhD, who's dedication to HMI is a testament to our students' success both academically and professionally. A huge thank you can also be given to our staff, Millena Da Silva and Tonya Clark, MBA for all of their hard work in supporting our students!

The Titan 100 is a national program that recognizes the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives in a region. Representing both the private and public sector, these Titans of industry demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field.  The Titan 100 are recognized at an annual awards event, published in the Titan 100 book, and given the opportunity to build relationships with their fellow Titans by connecting multiple times throughout the year.  Titans must be nominated and selected annually with the pinnacle achievement of being recognized as an elite Hall of Fame honoree in their third year.  The Titan 100 is one of the fastest-growing, most powerful communities of executives across the nation.

Kennesaw State University Professor Sweta Sneha was named the 2022 Woman of the Year in STEAM Education by Women in Technology, recognizing her success in positioning Georgia as a leader in the healthcare information technology space.

Sneha, the executive director of the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics program at the Michael J. Coles College of Business, is Kennesaw State鈥檚 first-ever recipient of WIT鈥檚 prestigious Woman of the Year award. She accepted the award at a ceremony held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

鈥淭his was a major validation of the work we鈥檝e been doing for years in the MSHMI program,鈥� Sneha said. 鈥淚t also speaks to how we are impacting the footprint of Georgia鈥檚 healthcare informatics sector and how much the industry values the work that we do.鈥�

Started in 1992, Women in Technology is dedicated to encouraging women and girls in Georgia to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The Woman of the Year award recognizes Georgia women in ten categories who are technology leaders working to enhance gender parity in technology and making a difference in their communities.

As the winner of the STEAM Education category, Sneha was recognized for being the driving force behind Kennesaw State鈥檚 innovative MSHMI program. Launched in Fall 2016 to enhance Georgia鈥檚 competitiveness in the healthcare IT sector, the program combines leadership and management training with skills development in information technology, computing, data analytics, and healthcare delivery processes.

The MSHMI program has graduated 150 students in six cohorts, with students coming from a variety of diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Women and men are equally represented, which Sneha says is rare for a technology program.

鈥淢any women have used the program to go from being bedside nurses to managing healthcare populations,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to create a platform where women and girls come in with potential and are nurtured enough to become successful.鈥�

Creating opportunities for women has been rewarding for Sneha, who said she confronted a lack of female representation in STEAM her entire career, first as a student and later as an IT consultant.

Sneha鈥檚 lead role in the MSHMI program has allowed her to make a lasting impression on Georgia鈥檚 healthcare technology sector. She sits on the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Biosciences Leadership Council and is a board member with the Technology Association of Georgia. She also partners with key industry players who sit on the MSHMI advisory board, work with students on research projects, and serve as mentors.

-Patrick Harbin

A huge thank you to LeeAnna Spiva and Susan Thurman of WellStar, and to Monica Agate, Michelle Whithead, and Matt Fisher of Georgia Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) for coming out on September 20^th, 2024 and speaking to our students on their respective organizations. Cultivating industry partnerships is a vital part of the HMI program, and we greatly appreciate our partners taking the time to share their insights with our students!

A huge congratulations to Dabnei LeBlanc, PMP, RT(R)(T) for being awarded the Outstanding Student Award for MSHMI! Dabnei was recognized for her outstanding performance in our program and dedication to health informatics. We are so proud of you, Dabnei!

Thank you to our HMI students who attended the TAG: Enhancing The Patient Experience With Technology event at Elevance Health, hosted by TAG Digital Health. It was such a valuable experience hearing the speakers discuss how we can enhance patient outcomes with emerging technologies. We cannot wait to see the impact our students will have in digital health!