I’ll admit it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Julie Moffitt, the original #HITchick herself, asked me to host the first #HITchicks tweetup, at HIMSS13. What I envisioned as four or five gals gathering at a bar near the convention center turned into something so much more rewarding. Twenty-plus women (and two of the smartest men in healthcare IT) showed up and jumped right into a dialogue around the challenges of what it means to be a woman in healthcare.
You might think this topic a tired one, but it is still incredibly relevant, especially as women like Yahoo’s Melissa Mayer and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg put a new and divisive spin on what it takes to be successful women in tech.
The role of women in healthcare was also touched upon. When it comes to health – be it family or business – women definitely seem to be in the driver’s seat. Many in the audience noted that women make up a fair chunk of their C-suite – an ironic statement considering the off-putting presence of several scantily clad booth babes a few halls over. We’ve come so far, yet still have a ways to go.
I’m looking forward to gathering another fantastic group together at HIMSS next year, if not before then. In the meantime, take a look at a few of the tweets and pictures captured at HIMSS13:
Mandi Bishop, Principal at Adaptive Product Solutions, and Brad Justus, ICD-10 Whisperer at KForce. Justus was joined by a second honorary #HITchick, Mark Palacio, Senior Manager, Media Relations – Healthcare IT at Siemens Healthcare.
