Scholarship


NJHIMSS Scholarship

Each year the New Jersey Chapter of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (NJHIMSS) offers three scholarship awards for students in a Healthcare Information Management, Healthcare Information Technology or a Clinical Informatics track. Applications are open from April 25th to July 11th. Award winners will be notified by July 21st.

The student must be enrolled in an accredited Undergraduate, Graduate, or Doctoral program related to Healthcare Information Management, Healthcare Information Technology or Clinical Informatics. The specific degree program is not a critical factor, although it is expected that programs similar to those in healthcare informatics, healthcare computer science and information systems, healthcare policy and quantitative programs in business administration and hospital administration will predominate.

  • The applicant must be attending a school in New Jersey OR be New Jersey resident.
  • The recipient is requested to become a student member of the NJHIMSS Chapter.
  • The applicant must have at least a B average or equivalent at the time of the application.
  • Veterans applying must have received an honorable or general discharge to be considered (if asked, the candidate would be able to provide the official DD-214).
  • To ensure originality and authenticity in your application materials, applicants are asked to refrain from using AI tools like ChatGPT to generate text for the essay, cover letter, resume, or any other application documents.

NJHIMSS award offerings:

·      The Undergraduate Award is offered to students pursuing a Baccalaureate degree for $2,500.

·      Katrina Kehlet Graduate Award is offered in memory of Katrina Kehlet, a longtime friend to NJHIMSS. She served as a senior leader for one of America’s leading technology companies and passed away in the Fall of 2012. To recognize her 20+ year career, her support for our chapter and her friendship, the NJ Chapter of HIMSS established the Katrina Kehlet Graduate Award. This $4,000 Award is offered to one individual whose essay embodies the passion, values and innovative use of technology that Katrina displayed in her career. Through this action we hope to keep her memory, passion, and dedication in the forefront of our chapter activity and academic support.

·      The Veterans Award is offered to students pursuing an Associate, Baccalaureate or Graduate degree for $3,000.

 

NJHIMSS 2024 Scholarship Winners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Undergraduate Winner: Krrisha Patel

I'm a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, pursuing a dual degree in Healthcare Management and Bioengineering. My goal is to combine business acumen and technological innovation to improve healthcare and create accessible solutions for those in need.

I have a deep-rooted passion for healthcare, inspired by my internship at IPMD, Inc., where I developed a telemedicine platform incorporating facial and emotional AI to tackle chronic and mental health diseases. This experience reinforced my belief in the power of technology to revolutionize patient care. Additionally, I founded Passion4Med, a community platform of around 4,000 individuals dedicated to supporting future healthcare professionals. I lead a team in organizing events, creating resources, and partnering with organizations to provide guidance and support for aspiring medical professionals. This initiative has been instrumental in fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for those passionate about medicine. At Penn, I'm excited to explore the intersections of medicine, engineering, and business, leveraging the vibrant startup ecosystem to bring innovative healthcare solutions to market. My ultimate aim is to create a healthier world by addressing systemic inequalities in healthcare and ensuring that technological advancements benefit everyone, especially underserved communities.

Graduate winner: Anna Savtchouk

Growing up, healthcare had always piqued my interest. It was not until college that I realized I was not going to fulfill the immigrant ideology that success is only measured by acquiring the titles JD or MD. I first started my career in healthcare working as a bed planner at RWJ Somerset. It seems that I was put in the right place at the right time as a year into this role, Somerset was one of the first RWJBH sites to go live with Epic.

During this time, I was able to get a first glance on how healthcare technology can transform all areas of the hospital. From here, I was eager to immerse myself in everything there was to know about Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and pursue healthcare technology as a full-time career. Eventually, I was incredibly lucky to secure a job in the field of Clinical Informatics where I continue to advance myself academically and professionally. Every day, I am inspired by my brilliant coworkers to continuously advance myself and our mission. I am excited to see many more advancements in the sector of healthcare technology and have a hand in making it the best that it can be!

Veterans award winner: Alexander Blidi

I am a professional in the field of Health Information Management (HIM), with a career spanning over a decade in various high-impact roles across public health, monitoring and evaluation, and data architecture. My work has significantly contributed to enhancing health information systems and improving healthcare delivery in both domestic and international settings. I am committed to advancing the field of HIM as evident to the pursuit of higher education. I am currently a Doctorate candidate in Health Information Management at Rutgers University, building upon my dual Master of Science degrees in Healthcare Administration and Informatics from Saint Joseph’s University. This academic foundation, combined with my practical experience, positions me at the forefront of HIM innovation and research.

I am Currently serving as a Research Scientist and Data Architect at the Minnesota Department of Health; I leads cutting-edge initiatives in health data management and analysis. My role involves developing complex databases, creating interactive dashboards, and conducting advanced data analysis to support evidence-based programming in public health.

Prior to my current position, I have substantial contributions to global health through my work with organizations such as Last Mile Health, Management Sciences for Health, UNICE, and the Liberia Ministry of Health. In these roles, I specialized in designing and implementing robust research, monitoring, and evaluation systems for health programs, particularly in resource-limited settings, and provided technical support to the development and roll out of HIM reporting systems and tools. Technical areas include: The development and implementation of electronic Community Based Information Systems (eCBIS), Design of Health Information System (HIS) interoperability roadmaps, Creation of data visualization tools and interactive dashboards, Implementation of mobile health (mHealth) solutions for data collection and monitoring, Development of comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) frameworks aligned with USAID and UN standards.

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated passion for leveraging health information systems to improve healthcare outcomes, particularly in underserved communities. My work has contributed to enhancing data-driven decision-making in public health, improving the efficiency of health programs, and bridging the gap between technical expertise and practical implementation in healthcare settings.