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Education:
I graduated from The College of St. Scholastica (CSS) with a bachelor of arts (BA) in Health Information Management and earned a Master of Arts (MA) from CSS as well.
Position at St. Scholastica and Experience in Education:
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Healthcare Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) at CSS. I teach a variety of courses in the undergraduate program, from pharmacotherapeutics and health science leadership to medicolegal issues.
I have been a faculty member at St. Scholastica since 2000. In addition to teaching in the HIIM department, I am a principal member in the Health Science Leadership course development and implementation. This interdisciplinary cohort incorporates the collaboration of all five of the health disciplines as well as the Social Work department. The course continues to be an exceptional offering affording the CSS students with a unique collaborative experience.
The ATHENS project, the original five-year federally funded grant that launched the unique electronic health record at CSS, has evolved into the academic electronic health record (AEHR), available to all health science majors at CSS. We continue to collaboratively seek ways to bring to the students a hands-on experience with the EHR, preparing them for their entry into the ever-changing healthcare arena.
HIM Experience:
Prior to accepting a position at CSS, I was the Health Information Services department manager at St. Mary's Hospital, Superior, WI. Working for a small, rural-status acute care facility, I was responsible for a wide range of functions, giving me a well-rounded immersion in acute care. I enjoyed being a clinical site supervisor for several CSS HIM students and learning from them as much as I hope they learned from their field experience with me.
Before joining SMHS, I worked in variety of roles at St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic, including family practice peer group support and the Lake Superior Cancer Registry. Again, I value every aspect of my time in the healthcare field and draw on those rich experiences in the classroom as often as I'm able.
Professional Activities:
From the very start, shortly after undergraduate completion, I was introduced to AHIMA professional volunteerism on the regional level as the elected president of the Northeastern Minnesota Health Information Management Association (NEMHIMA). With but a small break, I was elected to the Minnesota Health Information Management Association (MHIMA) Board of Directors as a director delegate and had the distinct honor of being elected to the 2005 presidency of MHIMA. This past decade of volunteer service to the profession has enriched my career beyond measure. The opportunity to participate in the Winter and Summer Team Talks, Leadership Conference and the AHIMA House of Delegates has been a remarkable reward for doing something so vital.
Always dreaming of being an author, imagine my surprise to be able to say that I finally am. No, this book will not be part of your book club, but I am proud to be a chapter contributor to an important professional textbook, co-edited by my colleagues, Kathleen LaTour and Shirley Eichenwald Maki, Health Information Management - Concepts, Principles, and Practice, first published in 2003. The 3rd edition (2010) became available in 2009!
I enjoy participating in AHIMA's Assembly on Education (AOE), the national HIM educators group. Attending both the annual summer meetings and the luncheon meeting at the annual AHIMA convention is most gratifying as it affords faculty the opportunity to hear and learn from the rich experience-base that this truly collaborative group possesses.
Personal Notes:
Being the mother of five larger-than-me children is a never-ending source of privilege and honor. My spouse, Larry, has been a great team mate in raising our "chickadees". He, too, is a CSS alumnus with a MA in Management. Our oldest two sons, Gabriel and Adam, live in Chicago and have caused us to love the biggest city we've ever frequented. Our only daughter, the middle child named Jillian, completed her post-secondary education here at CSS and her younger brothers, Christopher and Alexis are currently completing their chosen majors at CSS as well. Music rules our house supreme as every one of us is or has been involved in either choirs or bands or both throughout our lives. Everyone plays, or at least has had years of lessons on, an instrument which is a great way to keep the family singing the entire gambit, from the Big Band era to the new millennium. It is a constant source of solace and creative release! Our child-like Yorkshire terriers, Emily and Buster, with their strange mix of behaviors of dog, cat AND squirrel, will no doubt keep us in line long after the last child leaves the nest.
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