Scott Bradley | Scott is a digital health and eClinical technology expert, business leader and entrepreneur, with over 20 years of experience at market leading companies such as Boston Scientific, IQVIA and ERT as well as new start-ups such as CentrosHealth and OM1. Scott currently leads cross-portfolio patient services as Novartis, and is a mentor to health tech companies through the Canadian Technology Accelerator. |
Pam Breach, PMP | Pam Breach, PMP spent the first 25 years of her career in information systems and technology working for renowned general contractors, who have built many of the buildings we work in today, whether at one of the academic medical centers, insurance providers, pharmaceutical companies, etc. Though it was rewarding being the Director of Information Technology for a company building such amazing facilities, she became more interested in the work being done inside. In 2006 she began to pursue IS and IT roles in several industries outside of construction, none that were found to be more interesting than healthcare, but she didn’t have that direct healthcare systems experience. One of the jobs Pam applied for was a Project Manager to finish a troubled implementation of a laboratory information system. The Hiring Manager gave her a chance, thinking she must be good at project management coming from a construction company. Since then Pam has held roles in team, project, program and systems management, and is currently Systems Manager in Pathology Information Systems at Massachusetts General Hospital. |
Bob Dichter | Bob Dichter knew from a young age that he wanted to work in healthcare but he and Organic Chem didn’t get along, so a career in medicine was put aside to pursue healthcare business. He started in the healthcare staffing field and realized he needed an advanced degree and got an MBA in Healthcare Administration from BU. He then went to work as a financial analyst at a local Boston hospital and then as Executive Director of a local Community Health Center. He became very proficient with spreadsheets and left healthcare to pursue technology, initially as a consultant. After 10 years in tech administration, he wanted to make a difference and combined careers and went into Healthcare Tech, initially as a senior project manager for an internet start-up that built HIEs. Over the last 20 years, Bob has worked for several vendors, including a few startups, has run his own consulting firm, worked for two payors, including BCBSRI, and most recently was the Healthcare Technical Strategist for a large physician practice. He has been on the Board of Directors of NEHIMSS for almost 20 years and has met countless people during this time that he has networked and mentored towards helping them find new jobs. |
Steve Earle | Steve Earle has been involved in healthcare information and management systems for most of his career. As a pre-med student in college, Steve realized after taking organic chemistry that he could probably make the greatest contribution to the field of medicine by staying out of it. However, serving as a VISTA volunteer on a healthcare project after college rekindled his desire to serve in healthcare. He began his career as a programmer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and then worked in several hospitals and health systems in Rhode Island as a programmer analyst, systems analyst, project leader and project manager, with a couple of short term forays into manufacturing and banking along the way. He is currently a senior project manager with HCH Enterprises, assisting healthcare clients in southern New England. A longtime member of HIMSS and the New England Chapter, Steve is a certified PMP, a HIMSS Fellow, and serves as the HIMSS Chapter Advocacy Liaison for Rhode Island. |
Ralph Johnson | With his first hospital IT job starting in 1984 as an IBM systems programmer Ralph Johnson has worked in Health IT for 36 years, most of that time in leadership positions at various hospitals in Maine and New Hampshire. A member of HIMSS for the last 24 years Ralph has been very active with the New England Chapter. Ralph has been a CIO, VP of Quality, Risk Manager and HIM Director over the course of 35 years. In 2019 he was presented with a unique opportunity to remake his career and move to Washington DC where he now serves as the VP of Informatics and Technology for The Leapfrog Group. At Leapfrog he manages their technology and focuses on Health IT policy advocating for patient safety. |
Richard W. Kubica | Rich was recently the Interim Chief Information Office at the University of Rhode Island. During his tenure, Rich provided guidance in developing the URI IT Strategic Plan, that initiated multiple strategic projects. Being responsible for all IT services, he more closely aligned and improved communication between the IT Department and the University’s Schools and Departments. Prior to his URI position, Rich was the Chief Information Officer at Hartford Hospital. As CIO, he was responsible for all the Information Systems at Hartford Hospital, an 819 bed tertiary care facility, a Level 1 Trauma Center, and the anchor hospital for the Hartford Health Care network. Rich was Hartford Health Care’s Chief Technology Officer before his appointment to CIO at Hartford Hospital. Prior to working in healthcare, Rich started his career in Information Technology at Northeast Utilities, now Eversource, in both systems development and IT infrastructure. Rich has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science from the University of Connecticut. Rich also has an MBA from Northeastern University’s Executive MBA program. He is a Fellow in HIMSS and is active in the New England Chapter of HIMSS. In his retirement, he is the Treasurer for a not-for-profit institution and is a mentor for NEHIMSS. |
Rich Snyder | Rich Snyder began his career in software sales 30 years ago, primarily focused on the airline industry. A confluence of events including the “tech bust” and the 9/11 attacks at the turn of the century created an opportunity for Rich to consider which way to take his career. At that point, he enrolled in a Masters in Information Technology program and attended his first New England HIMSS conference. It was at that conference in Newport, RI that Rich made his connections to the Healthcare IT industry. Since 2003, Rich has served in a number of different roles including Analyst, Project Manager and Team Lead at Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare). Rich did transition back to the vendor side for short while in 2007 before returning back to Mass General Brigham. Today, Rich is the Director of User Experience and Training for Epic at Mass General Brigham. |
Peter Zaval | Pete Zaval's experience grew across the provider, consulting, and vendor sectors with healthcare, project management, and client services remaining the constants.
In the mid-2000s with a strong job market in front of him and a Marketing degree behind him, Pete set out to find a job that would put him in front of the customer, any customer, and if possible in healthcare. He spent the next 7 years on the vendor and provider side of Healthcare IT. To this day he regards walking the halls of Dana-Farber supporting care teams as some of his most meaningful career moments. It was in the next phase of his career where he polished his skills by providing strategy, financial advisory, and consulting to some of the largest hospitals in the country. After 4 years traveling the country with Deloitte and his first child on the way Pete knew it was time to try to grow his career locally. He did so with the skill he had refined over past 10 years, Project Management. At PatientKeeper Pete found a vendor that offered the perfect mix of entrepreneurial spirit, a customer focus, a collaborative culture. PatientKeeper continues to offer Pete growth in management, chances to help define a PMO, and opportunities to practice process improvement. |
NEHIMSS After Dark: Career Transitions Into, Out of, and Within Healthcare Technology
August 20, 5:00pm, EDT - 6:30pm, EDT
Live Webinar : Link to webinar will be sent 2 days prior to the event
Registration
Career Transitions – Into, Out of, and Within Healthcare Technology
Description: Career Transition is a part of career growth – people change roles and change industries – this evening discussion is going to focus on those changes. This will be an opportunity to hear from the leadership of New England HIMSS and learn about their career transitions, into and out of health care technology as well as changing roles within the industry.
Panelists: Rich Kubica, former Regional CIO of Hartford Healthcare and former CIO of University of Rhode Island; Steve Earle, Healthcare Project Consultant, HCH Enterprises; Rich Snyder, Project Director, Training and User Experience at Mass General Brigham; and Ralph Johnson, VP Informatics and Technology at Leapfrog Group; and Bob Dichter, Healthcare Technology Strategist, Value Care Strategies and Solutions, Pam Breach, PMP, Systems Manager, Blood Transfusion Service, Pete Zaval - Director Project Management Office, PatientKeeper, Scott Bradley – VP, PSS Cross-Portfolio, Novartis
During the registration process you will be able to select from two different break out sessions: Transitioning within HIT and Transitioning outside of HIT
Start thinking of your questions and send them in advance to ppc.nehimss@gmail.com.
