Speaker Bio Information

Keynote Speakers

David A. Jaffray, BSc, PhD

Dr. Jaffray is world-renowned for pioneering state-of-the-art image-guided radiation therapy, advancing the science and practice in medical physics, and for international leadership in clinical data science for oncology. Recruited to MD Anderson in May 2019, Dr. Jaffray serves as the IDSO director and is the institution’s inaugural chief technology and digital officer, bringing more than two decades of scientific expertise and proven skill as an innovator. In this role, he directs the strategic design, acquisition, management and implementation of an enterprise-wide technology infrastructure to safeguard the integrity and availability of the institution’s systems and intellectual property assets. He and his leadership team advance data integration, data governance and data security across MD Anderson’s campuses and its national network, as well as coordinate technology-enabled innovation. He also is a professor with dual appointments for Radiation Physics and Imaging Physics.

Over the course of his career, he has played an important role in bridging the fields of biomedical engineering and medical physics. He continues to facilitate dialog and partnership between these two important disciplines and how they can tackle major health challenges worldwide. For his leadership, Dr. Jaffray was recognized in 2021 as a Fellow of the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine and in 2022 as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Dr. Jaffray holds 47 patents and has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications in cancer science and technology, including the development of new radiation treatment machines, the exploration of the fundamental limits of imaging system performance, the development of novel nanoparticle formulations for improved detection of cancer, and challenges in global health.

Nora Cox

Nora Cox is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and effective health care advocates in Texas and beyond. She spent five years in the Texas capitol helping shape health care policy, representing then-Governor Rick Perry in collaborative conversations with legislators, private sector health care concerns and the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. In that capacity, she is credited with leading major reform efforts in Medicaid, overseeing the creation of the state’s health information exchange, and playing a key role in reorganizing the state’s fractured health and human services system.

Since then, she has been an incredibly effective advocate for the modernization of health care delivery in her role as Chief Executive Officer of the Texas e-Health Alliance. She founded TeHA as a non-profit advocacy group in 2009 to give health information technology stakeholders a voice in public policy. Under Nora’s insightful guidance, the Alliance has grown into the state’s leading advocate, for the use of information technology to improve the health care system for patients at every level, from local communities to national level policy.

During the 2017 session of the Texas Legislature, Nora helped broker a cease-fire in a longstanding dispute over the legality of telemedicine in Texas, resulting in the passage of Senate Bill 1107 that removed the final barriers to widespread adoption of the life-saving technology. She followed that up in 2019 with the passage of SB 670 and HB 1063, which significantly expanded Medicaid reimbursement for telemedicine, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring. In 2021, Nora led the passage of HB 4, which made permanent many of the telemedicine and telehealth services that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic a permanent part of the state’s regulatory framework.

Nora also holds national roles as the Chair of the Sequoia Project’s Emergency Preparedness Workgroup and as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law.

Nora is a highly sought after speaker and commentator on healthcare issues, consulting with entities in numerous states and at the federal level. Her expertise in the utilization of health information technology and the manner in which governments contract for essential services has proven invaluable for state and national leaders struggling to craft effective health care policy.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin and owns a hardcover first editions of Dune and Game of Thrones.

Dean Sittig, PhD

Dean F. Sittig, PhD, is a professor at UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI). Additionally, Sittig is the Executive Director of the Clinical Informatics Research Collaborative, a group of academic applied clinical informatics researchers committed to improving our understanding of issues involved in the design, development, implementation, use and evaluation of all aspects of health information technology with a particular emphasis on EHRs.

Sittig’s research interests center on the design, development, implementation and evaluation of all aspects of clinical information systems (CIS), specifically measuring the impact of CIS on a large scale and improving understanding of both the factors that lead to the success of CIS as well as the unintended consequences associated with computer-based clinical decision support and provider order entry systems. He is particularly interested in ensuring the safe and effective use of technology in the clinical setting, using advanced clinical decision support interventions to improve the quality of care and patient safety while reducing the costs of healthcare and designing and developing the clinical knowledge required to create these advanced clinical decision support interventions.

In 1992, he was elected as a fellow in The American College of Medical Informatics, in 2009, he won the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award as voted by the SBMI student body, and in 2017 he was elected as a founding fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics. Sittig has co-authored an extensive collection of books and has won the Health Information Management and Systems Society Book of the Year Award thrice.

MJ Jabbour, MD, Chief Innovation Officer

Dr. Michael J. Jabbour is an expert in organizational transformation, with over two decades of experience spanning artificial intelligence, human-centered design, agile development, and healthcare at scale. As the Chief Innovation Officer for Microsoft Education and a former CIO/CTO for various NYC agencies, notably the NYC Department of Education, he has spearheaded numerous digital transformations and operational mergers, generating substantial investments in innovation project funding and constructing programs that benefit millions of users. His current role at Microsoft leverages his experience and passion for making a positive societal impact through advancements in education.

Edward Gonzales

Edward Gonzales is Director of Research Support in the Office of Information Technology at the University of Texas at Arlington. With over 20 years of experience in IT and 16 years in higher ed, Edward’s current role focuses his experience on the information technology resources that enable and support research at the University. His team’s portfolio of support includes technologies across the entire research enterprise. As part of the recent emphasis on finding new applications for generative AI technologies, Edward works to spread awareness of GenAI resources and practices and has co-organized several AI events such as Prompt-a-thons. As for his personal life, Edward will be proud to tell you about his daughter in second grade who, being a chip off the old block, received a certificate for completing all her technology modules.

Lee Pierce

Lee Pierce is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in training, executive management, project management, and academia. He holds certifications from PROSCI for Enterprise Change Management. Currently, serves as the Director of Operational Learning and Communication in the Office of Information Technology at The University of Texas at Arlington.

Before his current role, Lee served as an Instructor at UT Arlington from 2012 to 2015, where he imparted his knowledge of technology and design to students. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in developing and delivering certified courses for the Continuing Education department, ranging from WordPress to iPhone Interface Design. His role has been instrumental in enhancing the university’s technological offerings and fostering client and employee development.

In addition, Lee has experience as a Web Team Member for Special Olympics Live, contributing to the design and implementation of web and administrative elements for the Special Olympics sites in Boise, Idaho, and Beijing, China.

Pierce’s earlier career includes notable positions such as Web Services Manager at SoHo Pros, where he managed web design teams focused on real estate and content management markets, and Director of Operations at Metrosplash/Matchmaker, where he played a key role in the successful sale of the company  to Lycos for $64 million.

Additionally, he held significant roles in companies like Stream International, where he supervised and trained over 1,400 employees across various international locations. My work at Stream involved designing sales presentations and online training materials for major clients, including CompuServe, Microsoft, and Gateway.

Theresa Meadows, MS, RN, CHCIO, FCHIME, FHIMSS, FACHE

Theresa Meadows, MS, RN, CHCIO, FCHIME, FHIMSS, FACHE is the Senior Vice President & CIO at Cook Children’s Health Care System. Cook Children’s is a national award-winning, not-for-profit, integrated pediatric health care system comprised of nine companies. She leads a team of 350+ members through digital transformation initiatives. The IS team currently supports 140 project initiatives that include deploying business intelligence, advanced clinical systems, cybersecurity and enhancing digital experience for patients, employees and clinical staff.

For 20+ years she has lead efforts for incorporating information systems as a mechanism for facilitating process improvement, clinical quality, and efficiency. Prior to joining Cook Children’s her career included serving in roles as a registered nurse in a Cardiac Transplant Unit; healthcare consulting, project management, and leadership positions at a web development company and a large Electronic Medical Record Company. Meadows also served as a Regional Director for Ascension Health Information Services where she not only lead software implementations but was instrumental in the development of Communities of Excellence.

In her current position, Meadows has led the organization through extensive improvements and modernization. In 2012, the organization received recognition as one of the Most Improved Hospitals as part of the “Most Wired” award program and recognized as one of the Information Week 500 innovators. From 2013 to 2021, Cook Children’s has received “Most Wired” designation. Cook Children’s was recognized by Computerworld’s Honors program for their state of the art distributed antenna system implementation. In addition, Ms. Meadows was also named one of Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT leaders for 2013. Ms. Meadows’ department has been recognized as one of the “Best Hospital IT Departments to Work” by Healthcare IT News and by Computerworld as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT in 2015. In 2016 – 2019, Meadows was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT and in 2017, 2019 and 2020 is a Finalist for the North Texas non-profit CIO of the year. In 2020, Meadows was recognized with the CHIME Outstanding Service Award for her contributions to the healthcare industry.

Ms. Meadows served as the Co-Chair for the Health and Human Services Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force. This task force is charged in creating recommendations in improving cybersecurity posture in the healthcare industry. The taskforce delivered recommendations in March 2017. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Sector Coordinating Council Cybersecurity Working Group. In 2019, Meadows received the CHIME Federal Public Policy Award for her work with Cybersecurity.
She serves as a member of the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Overseers. Ms. Meadows has published several articles and frequently is asked to speak at conferences around innovation in healthcare technology.

Ms. Meadows has a master’s degree in healthcare informatics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is an active member of the Children’s Hospital Association CIO Council; is a Fellow in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS); is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is a Fellow and previous board member of the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME). Ms. Meadows is a graduate of CIO Bootcamp and is a credentialed by CHIME as a Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO).

Anwar Siraj, MBBS, MS, CPHIMS

Anwar Siraj, MBBS, MS, CPHIMS, is Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at Memorial Hermann Health System. After obtaining a medical degree from the University of Mysore, India and working as a primary care physician, Siraj decided to pursue a full-time career in informatics. As Associate CMIO, Siraj co-manages the informatics operations across the Memorial Hermann Health System. With a primary focus on People, Process and Technology, Siraj is passionate about leveraging information technology and human relationships to provide patient care that has high quality and high reliability and has been doing this since 2006. His personal interests include playing sports, exercising, and carpentry.

Ferdinand Velasco, MD

Dr. Ferdinand Velasco is Texas Health’s Chief Health Information Officer.  He leads the system’s functions responsible for clinical decision support, medical informatics, nursing informatics, electronic health record reporting, quality measurement, and clinical analytics. Through his and his team’s leadership of the implementation of the electronic health record, Texas Health was awarded the Enterprise Davies Award for Excellence in 2013 and has achieved HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7.

Prior to joining Texas Health Resources in 2002, Dr. Velasco served as an assistant professor and physician champion for the implementation of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He simultaneously practiced as a cardiothoracic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

A Fellow of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Dr. Velasco served on the North America Board of HIMSS and chaired the society’s Quality, Cost, Safety Committee.  Modern Healthcare honored Dr. Velasco as an inaugural member of the Top 25 Clinical Informaticists in Healthcare. He received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.

Mujeeb Basit, M.D., M.M.Sc.

Mujeeb Basit is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in cardiology with a focus on risk optimization.

Dr. Basit earned his medical degree and completed a residency in internal medicine at The George Washington University. He received advanced training in cardiology through a fellowship at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and in clinical informatics through a fellowship at Harvard University. He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2016.

Dr. Basit is the Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer for UT Southwestern Health System. He serves on several UT Southwestern committees, including the Hospital EMR Workgroup, the Hospital Police Committee, and the Enterprise Data Warehouse Committee. He’s a member of the American Medical Informatics Association and the American Computing Machinery.

Dr. Basit’s research focuses on machine learning for advanced clinical decision support, automated anomaly detection of clinical decision support failures, and double-blind clinical trials of digital health systems. He has delivered numerous presentations, contributed to the book Global Health Informatics: Principles of EHealth and MHealth to Improve Quality of Care, and published multiple academic articles.

Estefanie Garduno Rapp, MD, MS

Dr. Garduno Rapp, originally from Mexico City, graduated from medical school at Westhill University and earned a master’s degree in health informatics with a focus on artificial intelligence from UT Southwestern’s School of Health Professions.

As a clinical informatics researcher, she manages a portfolio of clinical and research informatics projects, leveraging electronic health record (EHR) data and multimodal research data to enhance clinical care and research in the neurosciences. Her previous research analyzed EHR data to address clinical questions, derive insights, and build AI models for the early diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia.

Dr. Garduno Rapp currently serves as a member of the scientific committee for the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and on the student and early career editorial board for Applied Clinical Informatics, the official e-journal of both AMIA and the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA). Additionally, she acts as a clinical research mentor at the university, teaching junior researchers to better understand research policy, data management, and ethical conduct.

Her primary objective is to improve patients’ quality of life by optimizing healthcare and research processes. She has led various global healthcare projects, receiving recognition for her innovative interventions.
Beyond her medical and informatics work, Dr. Garduno Rapp is passionate about art and women’s advocacy. She founded “Women in Art” at UTSW, aiming to empower women through artistic expression for tangible outcomes. Additionally, she teaches art classes to inpatients in
the rehabilitation unit at UT Southwestern

Jorge Mario Rodríguez-Fernández, MD

Jorge Mario Rodríguez-Fernández is an experienced Clinical Informatics professional and the Associate CMIO at UTMB. With a focus on enhancing patient engagement, clinician technology adoption, and reducing health inequities, he brings expertise in quality improvement, data analytics, clinician burnout, and artificial intelligence (AI). Holding Epic’s Physician builder certificates, he has played pivotal roles in prior Epic go-live events, followed by stabilization and optimization. Having published over 25 research articles in the areas of data science, deep learning, predictive modeling, and clinician wellness. Passionate about emerging healthcare technologies, his interests encompass AI deployment, clinical documentation improvement, revenue cycle, and health disparity research.

Lauri Hix

Lauri Hix is a passionate healthcare professional with a diverse background in nursing, health policy, and public health. Born and raised in Texas, Lauri has always been driven by a deep commitment to improving health outcomes and advocating for equity in healthcare access.

A registered nurse since December 2022, Hix has gained experience in various settings, including the operating room and dialysis. Her interest in health policy was sparked during nursing school when she authored resolutions for the Arlington Nurse Student Organization that were presented to state and national student nurse organizations. This experience led to the creation of a new patient navigation designation, which was passed on to the Texas Nurse Association and American Nurse Association.

In addition to clinical practice, Hix has held several leadership positions, such as Secretary and President of the Arlington Nurse Student Organization and Nursing Representative for the Health Innovation Constituency Council. This leadership activity has led the creation of Master Mavs for Public Health and she currently serves on the Texas Public Health Association’s Nursing Committee as secretary, the American Public Health Associations chair on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and she sits on the Texas Nurse Association Early Career Nurse Committee. Her leadership extends to being a CPR and Stop the Bleed Instructor.

Lauri’s commitment to public health is exemplified by her work with International Childcare USA and Grace Children’s Hospital, where she focused on raising awareness about pediatric tuberculosis. Her efforts included creating educational materials, presenting at conferences, and developing data collection methodologies for resource-limited settings like Haiti.

As a strong advocate for rural health, Lauri is involved in a rural health residency program and is working on various initiatives to address disparities in healthcare access. Her dedication to health equity is further reflected in her ongoing studies and presentations on topics such as the integration of Western and Indigenous knowledge in healthcare, the impact of crises on health systems, and the unique challenges faced by rural communities.

Currently, Lauri is working on a flash talk presentation for the Texas Nurse Informatics Association about Ambient AI and its association with student nurses. They are also actively involved in professional organizations such as the American Nurse Association, American Public Health Association, Texas Nurse Association, and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

In addition to their professional pursuits, Lauri finds joy in traveling, gardening, and baking, and is guided by their faith in Jesus Christ, which is central to their life and work.

Mari Frances Tietze, PhD, RN, BC-NI, FHIMSS, FAAN, MSN, BSN

Dr. Mari Tietze is the recipient of the Myrna R. Pickard Endowed Professorship at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI). In that role, she is also the Affiliate, representing nursing, to the UTA Multi-Interprofessional Center for Health Informatics (MICHI), a collaboration among numerous health informaticists. She is also the director of the graduate certificate and Master’s in Nursing (MSN) Health Informatics at UTA CONHI and project lead for BSN and graduate nursing program curriculum integration of the academic EHR [EHR Go] used by faculty and students.

Dr. Tietze was co-investigator in two Texas-wide multi-method studies to examine over 1,000 nurses’ experiences using their electronic health records (EHRs). Dr. Tietze is co-author of the AJN Book of the Year, Nursing Informatics for the Advanced Practice Nurse: Patient Safety, Quality, Outcomes, and Interprofessionalism. She has been a long-standing member of the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) global initiative, working on harmonization of informatics competencies.

Dr. Tietze received her BSN from Washburn University, her MSN from Kansas University, and her PhD from Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing. She is a Fellow of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and is certified in nursing informatics from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dr. Tietze is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Robert Turer, MD, MSE, MSACI

Robert Turer, MD, MSE, MSACI is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

After completing his undergraduate degree in computer engineering and a Masters degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, Dr. Turer attended the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed residency in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan, where he served as a chief resident. He pursued fellowship training and a Masters degree in clinical informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center before joining the faculty at UT Southwestern in 2021. At UT Southwestern, Dr. Turer serves as a core faculty member within the Clinical Informatics Center, Program Director for the Clinical Informatics Fellowship, and Deputy Chief Medical Informatics Officer (DCMIO) for Analytics. As a researcher, he studies patient-facing technologies, including patient portals. Dr. Turer, along with Dr. Robin Higashi, was awarded a Texas Health Resources Clinical Scholars grant to study language-related disparities in patient portal enrollment and use among Spanish-speaking patients in Dallas.

Sharon Blackerby, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, NI-BC, CPHQ

Dr. Blackerby serves as the Professional Development Director and Accredited Provider Program Director for nursing continuing professional development for the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation. Dr. Blackerby serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor, and she is the Lead Faculty for Nursing Informatics for the Academic Online (AO) Masters in Science in Nursing (MSN) Program. She also serves as a faculty member in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for Clinical Information Systems, Population Health, Project Proposal, Practicum I, and Practicum II.

She has been a Registered Nurse for 40 years, with experience in the areas of education, informatics, project management, quality management, auditing, case management, and direct patient care. She has held leadership positions progressing in roles of responsibilities including charge nurse, supervisor, manager, and director. Dr. Blackerby has served as the program director for Magnet, Pathway to Excellence, and a Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP). Her patient care experience includes Women’s Services and Medical-Surgical Nursing.

Dr. Blackerby earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree, a Master of Science in Nursing Administration, and a Nursing Education Certificate from the University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Dr. Blackerby holds certifications in Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC), Nursing Informatics (NI-BC), and as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Dr. Blackerby was recognized as recipient of the 2021 D Magazine Nursing Excellence Award for Education.

Lori Camperlengo, MSN, RN-BC

Lori Camperlengo has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at UTA’s CONHI Smart Hospital since 2021, working as the Lead Educator for the Medical Surgical Junior 2 simulation experiences. Lori worked as a Certified Epic Informaticist at Cook Children after graduating from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center with the first cohort of MSN prepared Nursing Informaticists in 2015. Her Capstone projects “Use of Electronic Health Record During Simulation in Undergraduate Nursing Education” and “The Examination of Human Factors Impacting Transition to EHR Access in Academic Nursing Simulation Environment” demonstrated her early interests in finding solutions to better prepare students by merging simulation and informatics knowledge.

Lori’s nursing background includes pediatric cardiology, neuro-muscular clinical trials at UTSouthwestern Medical Center, Institutional Review Board administration, case management, pediatric clinical research trials, and bedside nursing at Cook Children. Her initial exposure to nursing simulation “accidentally” happened at Texas Christian University after returning to work full time and she has been involved in simulation and education ever since. After several years in the IT world and one Big Bang Implementation, Lori returned to simulation at the University of Texas at Arlington, her alma mater and simulation home. Lori is a board-certified Informatics nurse, HIMSS certified, and a certified health simulation educator. Lori recently co-presented with an esteemed group of simulationists and pioneers in Informatics education at the 2024 International Nursing Association of Clinical Learning in Simulation conference on their work with academic EHR integration in simulation and the Competency Assessment in Simulation Evaluation tool.

Lauren Cooper, MS

Lauren N. Cooper is currently a data scientist for the Clinical Informatics Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. With an undergraduate background in physics, she has recently transitioned from an eighteen-year career as a high school physics teacher, focusing on providing opportunities for advanced science education to underrepresented student groups in STEM based fields. After completing her recent graduate program at the Johns Hopkins University, she now currently focuses on utilizing clinical informatics and electronic health records to help improve the equity of healthcare to underserved populations. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and pets, sailing, and traveling.

Anoop Gurram, (Future MD)

Anoop Gurram is a third-year medical student at the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Brown University. During his gap-year, he worked at CVS Health on the Digital Innovation Team, evaluating external healthcare vendors (smoking cessation, surgical care centers, and women’s health) to provide patients with innovative health tools through their PBM benefits plan. His research interests include AI applications in medicine, onco-genetics, structural determinants of health, and diabetes education. He currently is investigating current use-scenarios of AI technologies within clinical trial processes and conducting an implementation science study that seeks to optimize hereditary cancer risk assessments in primary care settings. Additionally, he serves as the Executive Director of the Brother Bill’s Diabetes Clinic, where he works to improve diabetes education and nutrition through outreach programs and workshops.

Robin Higashi, PhD 

Dr. Robin T. Higashi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Trained as a medical anthropologist, she uses her expertise in qualitative and mixed methods to evaluate patient- and system-level barriers to care and identify patient-centered strategies to address health inequities. Dr. Higashi has collaborated on federal grants totaling >$20 million and has independently procured nearly $1 million in funding to reduce inequitable access to the portal and telehealth among Spanish-speaking, older adult, and minoritized populations in the Dallas area. Her current focus is studying barriers to portal enrollment and use among Spanish-speaking populations across UT Southwestern, Parkland Health, and Texas Health Resources (MPI: Robert Turer, MD).

In addition to her work in digital health disparities, Dr. Higashi’s intellectual portfolio includes qualitative and mixed methods research on diverse topics including cancer prevention and control, HIV prevention and connection to care, food insecurity, and adolescent sexual health.

Dr. Higashi earned a Bachelor’s in Health Psychology from Stanford University in 1998 and a Doctorate in Medical Anthropology from the Joint Program at University of California – San Francisco/UC Berkeley in 2010. She worked for a community-based organization in Tucson, AZ promoting migrant health before joining UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2013.

Bavithra Lakshmanasamy

Bavithra Lakshmanasamy, a senior undergraduate majoring in Data Science with a focus on psychology. My enthusiasm lies in applying data science to healthcare, with a goal of integrating informatics for impactful outcomes. I’ve successfully managed geo-spatial analysis projects, including a notable trend study on broadband access and its correlation with health outcomes.

Introduced to this field through the Getphit bootcamp, I’ve gained expertise that has been pivotal to my journey. As I approach graduation, my aspiration is to become a neuroscientist, concentrating on the computational side of research. The lab platform I’m part of has been a guiding light, enhancing my understanding of the intricate details within the field.

Hemshankar Laugi

Hemshankar Laugi is a bioengineering undergraduate at the University of Texas at Arlington. Having already engaged in numerous research projects in molecular biology, immunology, cancer biology, and bioinformatics, he is well-equipped with laboratory techniques and programming languages. Starting from summer 2024, he is working as an immuno-oncology researcher at Dr. Weidanz lab. His project involves producing and characterizing Llama nanobody clones to MHC-E, which could enhance the lysis of tumor cells by NK cells through NKG2A/CD94 immune checkpoint blockade. As a biotech enthusiast and an aspiring entrepreneur, he aims to start a biotech startup and improve patients’ lives worldwide.  

Tara Movaghar

Tara Movaghar is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in data science with an emphasis in biology. Her current research, working under the guidance of Dr. Barbara Schneider, focuses on the role of Type 1 interferons in skeletal muscle regeneration following acute injury. This work aims to shed light on the inflammatory mechanisms involved in muscle healing, particularly in relation to the presence or absence of estrogen. Tara’s background in neuroscience research, where she contributed to modeling photophobia in rats suffering from migraine, deepened her interest in the intersection of biological systems and data analysis. In her spare time, Tara enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and cooking.

Derek Ngai, MD

Dr. Derek Ngai is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist who is currently pursuing additional training in the field of Clinical Informatics. During his GI training, he worked on various projects to improve nutritional care in vulnerable patient populations. His work increasingly incorporated the power and versatility of technology. Using that as a steppingstone, he stumbled into the field of clinical informatics, which he became fascinated with. He is currently pursuing formal training in the Clinical Informatics Fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern. After completing his training, Dr. Ngai plans to apply his skills and knowledge to improve not only patient care, but also how to deliver that care effectively and efficiently.

Khyra Parks, MS

Khyra Parks is a dedicated healthcare professional with over eight years of experience in direct patient care, combined with a strong background in clinical informatics and data analytics. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and will complete my Master of Science in Informatics with a minor in Clinical Applications by May 2024. Expertise lies in leveraging data to enhance healthcare outcomes, having developed and implemented various data-driven solutions, including a voice-driven digital application for nursing documentation. Proficient in programming languages such as Python and R, and skilled in tools like Power BI and Tableau, Khyra consistently ensures data quality and privacy, is passionate about leading teams to improve healthcare protocols, is committed to maintaining confidentiality, and proactive in problem-solving within health information management.

Emily Repasky

Emily Repasky is a Population Research Associate II in the School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. With a background in anthropology and expertise in qualitative methodologies, Emily’s research focuses on addressing health inequities and improving health systems. She has supported numerous grant-funded projects and has played a key role in qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting. Emily’s work emphasizes patient-centered strategies, particularly in behavioral health and digital health literacy.

In addition to her research on health system improvements, Emily’s intellectual portfolio includes a broad range of qualitative and mixed-methods studies. These studies have addressed topics such as palliative care integration, cancer screening, telehealth and portal access among underserved populations, and the development of educational materials for patients with rare diseases. Her work consistently seeks to identify barriers to care and develop actionable solutions to enhance patient outcomes and equity.

Emily earned her Master’s in Anthropology from Texas State University in 2022. Her thesis explored the impact of COVID-19 on college affordability, highlighting her dedication to examining critical issues that affect vulnerable populations.

Jennifer Roye, MSN, RN, CHSE, CNE, EdD(c)

Jennifer Roye is The Assistant Dean for Simulation and Technology and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She is lead faculty for the Fundamentals of Telehealth course and is also the Director of the Undergraduate Health Informatics Certificate Program. Mrs. Roye is an affiliate of the Multi Interprofessional Center of Health Informatics at UTA. She is active in INACSL, serving on the Board of Directors. She received her MSN from UTA in 2003 and is currently enrolled at The University of Alabama in the EdD Instructional Leadership program. She practiced as a CPNP in private practice for 10 years and as an RN in the Emergency Department at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Ft. Worth, Texas for 16 years. Her areas of research interest include simulation, robotics in nursing education, telehealth, artificial intelligence, cognitive load theory, health informatics, rural health, and extended reality (XR) simulation.

Alaina Tellson, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC

Dr. Alaina Tellson is the System Director for Nursing Research/Evidence-based practice and the Transition to Practice Programs at Baylor Scott & White Health. She obtained her undergraduate degree in nursing from Midwestern State University and her PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has a background in clinical nursing, specialty accreditations, nursing quality, professional development, and research. Dr. Tellson has a passion for advocacy for nursing. She has held multiple roles in committees within her system, local and state committee and associations. She has a passion for advancing the profession of nursing and creating a safe environment for all nurses.

Mari Frances Tietze, PhD, RN, BC-NI, FHIMSS, FAAN

Dr. Mari Tietze is the recipient of the Myrna R. Pickard Endowed Professorship at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI). In that role, she is also the Affiliate, representing nursing, to the UTA Multi-Interprofessional Center for Health Informatics (MICHI), a collaboration among numerous health informaticists. She is also the director of the graduate certificate and Master’s in Nursing (MSN) Health Informatics at UTA CONHI and project lead for BSN and graduate nursing program curriculum integration of the academic EHR [EHR Go] used by faculty and students.

Dr. Tietze was co-investigator in two Texas-wide multi-method studies to examine over 1,000 nurses’ experiences using their electronic health records (EHRs). Dr. Tietze is co-author of the AJN Book of the Year, Nursing Informatics for the Advanced Practice Nurse: Patient Safety, Quality, Outcomes, and Interprofessionalism. She has been a long-standing member of the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) global initiative, working on harmonization of informatics competencies.

Dr. Tietze received her BSN from Washburn University, her MSN from Kansas University, and her PhD from Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing. She is a Fellow of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and is certified in nursing informatics from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dr. Tietze is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Jill Whitfill, RN, MSN-Ed

Jill Whitfill is the Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice – Rural Simulation at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She began her nursing career as a LVN and continued her education receiving her AD from Tarrant County College, BSN from Texas Tech University and MSN-Ed from Saint Xavier University. Ms. Whitfill is a dedicated nurse educator with extensive nursing experience the traumatic medical surgical nursing, physical rehabilitation, ICU, quality assurance and performance improvement, simulation and rural healthcare.

Ms. Whitfill is currently responsible for two programs at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the Rural Health Center. Both programs will serve rural areas of Texas; one is an immersive simulation environment using an Igloo™ room and the second program is a mobile simulation program to service rural healthcare educational needs.

Ms. Whitfill has an extensive background in a variety of nursing roles including bedside care, quality, case management, rural health, and simulation education, encompassing more than 40 years of service.

Ms. Whitfill is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), The Gathering of Healthcare Operation Simulation Technology Specialist (SimGHOSTS), Simulation Professionals of Texas (SPOT), Emergency Nurse Association (ENA), National League for Nursing (NLN), American Nurses Association (ANA) and Texas Nurses Association (TNA).

Averi Wilson, MD

Averi Wilson is a Clinical Informatics Fellow and Internal Medicine- Pediatrics hospitalist at University of Texas Southwestern. Her interests include using electronic health record interventions to improve physician wellbeing and improve the safety and quality of patient care.

Rhonda Winegar, PhD, DNP, FNP-BC, CCRN, CPN

Dr. Rhonda Winegar began her nursing career with an Associate Degree of Nursing in 1991 from Redlands Community College and she has continued to advance her nursing education by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, a Master of Science in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner) from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice and PhD in Nursing from Saint Louis University. Her administrative and teaching experience spans over 10 years and includes prelicensure as well as graduate level education. She has worked as a family nurse practitioner for over 20 years, primarily in neurology and behavioral health. Dr. Winegar has been very active in many nursing organizations to include serving as a member of the Executive Board of the Texas Nurses Association.