The Health Management and Informatics Alumni Organization (HMIAO) is an affiliate of the University of Missouri Alumni Association, an independent, not-for-profit educational corporation. Click the titles below to expand each section.
The Health Management and Informatics Alumni Organization (HMIAO) is an affiliate of the University of Missouri Alumni Association, an independent, not-for-profit educational corporation.
The purpose of this Organization is to provide services to its alumni constituency and to the University.
Services and activities may be educational, developmental, or social and may encourage both fellowship and constructive contributions to the University.
This Organization encourages alumni to support the department and the University and to participate in building a greater University.
The goals of the organization shall be:
- to encourage the participation of Health Management and Informatics alumni, students, and faculty in the activities and services of the HMI Alumni Organization,
- to promote, support, and be involved in the continuing development of the MU Health Management and Informatics academic programs,
- to provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, information exchange, social interaction, and continuing education among alumni, students, and faculty,
- to assist alumni and students in identifying employment, residency/fellowship, and internship opportunities,
- to promote and maintain the quality of professionalism among graduates of the Health Management and Informatics academic programs, and
- to communicate and coordinate the activities, interests, and concerns of the Organization with other entities internal and external to the University.
2023 Board of Directors
Tim Kephart ’13
President
M2 Orthopedics
Alex Gill ’09
Past President
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Dexter D’Costa ’05
President-Elect
Optum Insight
Adam Desaulniers ’09
Treasurer
Cerner
Zak Gase ’18
Secretary
Guidehouse
Emmy Matthews ’20
Student Relations Committee Chair
Ludi
Nic Keithley ’21
Communications Committee Chair
Guidehouse
Dillon Falk ’18
Membership Committee Chair
University of Missouri Health Care
Mikel Whittier ’16
Development Committee Chair
UCLA Health
Shaun Custard ’04
Director
Methodist Fremont Health
Madeline Cremin ’22
Director
Nicklaus Children Hospital
Andrea Wiggins ’10
Director
Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital
Amy Ryan ’18
Director
Nova Biomedical Corporation
Daniel Vogel ’18
Director
Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South
Jared Poeppe ’11
Director
Centene
Matt Rennie ’12
Director
Ascension
Andrew Lovewell ’15
Director
Columbia Orthopaedic Group
Bryce Sillyman ’05
Director
Wellstar Health System
Curt Hohman ’91
Director
Avera Health
Communications
Communications Committee is responsible for developing, updating, and monitoring HMIAO’s communication policies, social networking accounts, and electronic discussion groups. The committee is tasked with developing new methods for engaging and communicating with alumni, students, and faculty.
Student Relations
Student Relations Committee is tasked with assisting in student recruitment efforts which may include interacting with prospective students, raising money for student scholarships, and selecting the recipients of the scholarships.
Development
Development Committee is responsible for coordinating fundraising efforts with HMI Department Leadership including, but not limited to, creating a comprehensive development strategy, identifying potential donors, organizing fundraising events, and making recommendations on scholarship programs.
Membership
Membership Committee is charged with providing recommendations for ways to enhance service to members, developing plans and programs for attracting new members and retaining existing members, and determining ways to encourage participation from active and inactive alumni.
2023 Fall Institute
The Fall Institute registration link is now live! It will be held October 12-13, 2023, at the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia.
Register nowThere are hotels reserved (till September 14, 2023) for our alumni, please be sure to check the link.
We are also thrilled to announce this year’s speaker lineup and topics:
- Dr. Sue Boren & David Moxley: State of the Program
- Christy Lemak: Leadership to Accelerate Healthcare’s Digital Transformation
- Bill (Buck) Schneider: From Data Governance to AI Governance: Ways to Get Started
- Mikel Whittier: Health Equity
- Andrew Lovewell: Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity, Oh My!
We hope to see you at Fall Institute 2023!
Contact Lhakpa Diki Lama (ldlpdp@missouri.edu) with any questions on registration.
2022 Fall Institute
The Health Management and Informatics Alumni Organization would like to thank everyone who attended, participated in, and planned an extremely successful Fall Institute this year, which took place October 13 and 14 in Columbia and The State Historical Society of Missouri.
A record number of alumni, students, advisory board members, faculty, staff, and friends of the program attended this year’s event which began on Thursday evening with Welcome Reception and dinner.
During dinner we heard from several speakers including Department Chair Dr. Eduardo Simoes and HMIAO Board President Tim Kephart. Following dinner HMIAO presented several new and returning alumni awards including Service to HMI, Outstanding Award in Diversity, Leading Woman in Healthcare, Outstanding Mentor and Early Careerist. We would like to send congratulations to Michelle McClay (Service to HMI Recipient), Lorie Thibodeaux (Outstanding Award in Diversity Recipient), Gail Peace (Leading Woman in Healthcare Recipient), Kristin Waller Hannahs (Outstanding Mentor) and Allison Corry and Jake Simons (Early Careerist Recipients).
The HMI Graduate Student Association held a silent auction Thursday evening. They were able to raise $1,050 which will be used to offset costs of competing in case competitions and attending professional conferences.
On Friday, attendees participated in several networking sessions where alumni and students were able to share experiences and aspirations. These sessions are a great way for attendees to meet several people in a short amount of time and for students to connect with new alumni they may otherwise not have the opportunity to connect with.
Alongside these networking sessions were five incredible speakers and a panel. Eight alumni volunteered time and expertise to present a variety of topics which included: Practical Uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare, Revenue Cycle Career Trends, A Health Tech Career in Customer Success, Healthcare Trends from a Consulting View. This year’s panel included graduates of the class of 1992 and focused on different paths graduates took while each presented the same opportunities as a class and each who graduated into the same healthcare climate.
The HMIAO Board is truly thankful for the efforts of those who made Fall Institute a success! We would especially like to thank our speakers Bill Schneider, Andrea Wiggins, Dexter D’Costa, Amber Monroe, Zak Gase, Kristin Waller Hannahs, Gail Peace and J. Paul O’Haro. Finally, we thank Lhakpa Diki Lama and the Department for their assistance in planning this event!
2022 Presentations and Speakers
- Session 1: Practical Uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare [Bill Schneider]
- Session 2: Coaching Conversations [Andrea Wiggins]
- Session 3: Revenue Cycle Career Trends [Dexter D’Costa]
- Session 4: A Health Tech Career in Customer Success [Amber Monroe]
- Session 5: Healthcare Trends from a Consulting View [Zak Gase]
The HMIAO Awards recognizes the work done by our HMI alumni in the following categories:
- Outstanding Service
- This award gives recognition to an individual who has generously contributed their time, talent and resources to further the success of the (former) Health Management and Informatics program. All alumni including MHA graduates, MS graduates, Executives and Residential graduates, past faculty and staff of the former HMI program and current faculty and staff of the MHA Program of the College of Health Sciences are eligible for this award.
- Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion
- This award recognizes the outstanding efforts of an individual who demonstrates a strong
dedication to diversity and empowerment of individuals in their workplace or community.
- This award recognizes the outstanding efforts of an individual who demonstrates a strong
- Inspiring Woman
- This award honors an extraordinary alumna who leads, motivates, and inspires others to overcome barriers and promotes the advancement of women in their workplace and community. This award recognizes a leading woman who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to advancing their profession and professional hobbies in meaningful and moving ways.
- Outstanding Mentor
- This award recognizes an alum’s outstanding efforts to provide guidance and motivation to support the continued growth of students and young professionals.
- Early Careerist
- This honor is presented to an alum who is a graduate of the HMI program within the past 15 years. Nominees may be an MHA or MS graduate, or any combination of those degrees with a dual degree. The nominee has demonstrated a commitment to leadership in the healthcare field at an early stage in their career and sets an example for new graduates to aspire to.
2023 Award Nominations
We are excited this year to be again recognizing our outstanding alumni through our returning Fall Institute Alumni Awards. We will be accepting nominations for alumni in the following categories: Early Careerist, Outstanding Service, Inspiring Woman, Outstanding Mentor, Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion.
Please consider nominating alumni you feel excel and stand out in any of the above categories. We welcome you to submit the form more than once, should you want to nominate for more than one alumnus in the same category.
We look forward to recognizing the work and accomplishments of our alumni at Fall Institute 2023! Nominations will close Friday, September 1.
Submit a nominationContact Curt Hohman at curt.hohman@avera.org with any questions regarding award nominations.
2022 Award Winners
Congratulations to our 2022 Award Winners!
- Michelle McClay (Service to HMI)
- Lorie Thibodeaux (Outstanding Award in Diversity)
- Gail Peace (Leading Woman in Healthcare)
- Kristin Waller Hannahs (Outstanding Mentor)
- Allison Corry and Jake Simons (Early Careerist)
The HMI Newsletter is a quarterly publication done in collaboration with the HMIAO, HMI Department, MHAGSA and HMI Advisory Board.
The “HMI Spotlight Series” on HMI Alumni LinkedIn shines the spotlight on the three elements that make our HMI community thrive.
- HMI Students
- HMI Alumni
- HMI Faculty
Join the HMI Alumni LinkedIn group!
The HMIAO congratulates you on choosing to pursue an MHA/MS degree with the University of Missouri-Columbia. Whether you are a current residential or executive HMI graduate student or a recent HMI alum, we share in your excitement to further your career with an MHA/MS degree. We are family at Mizzou and want to welcome you to our extended family.
We wanted to share with you an exciting opportunity to further enhance your networking and expand on your learning experience. We invite you to join the HMI Alumni Organization and benefit from the numerous advantages of being part of this HMI alumni-focused association.
Join the Mizzou Alumni Association – HMI MAA MembershipWe look forward to seeing you at our next HMI Social, HMI Alumni Fall Institute or even you volunteering as a member of the HMIAO Board.
Networking Opportunities
- Annual Fall Institute provides an opportunity to reconnect with your Mizzou roots and interact with your HMI peers, as well as current students
- Annual ACHE and HIMSS gathering provides an opportunity to re-engage with fellow HMI alum, as well as current students
- Awareness of job opportunities within organizations led by HMI alum
- Alumni Social Events in Missouri and beyond!
Give Back to the HMI Department
- Knowledge sharing and access to expertise
- Opportunity to participate in the HMI Alumni Internship Preceptorship Program
- Opportunity to support the HMI Students Mock Interviews Program
- Access to Wednesday Forum Professional Development Speaker series and Tuesday Health Informatics Seminar series
- HMI Alumni Board Membership and leadership opportunities!
Communication Tools
- HMI Alumni Newsletter providing program updates and alumni news
- HMI Alumni LinkedIn page to stay professionally connected virtually
- Alumni Database – be sure to add your new contact information!
Mizzou Discounts
- Download the free Mizzou App (Mizzou Alumni Association)
- Gain access to benefits and discounts
- Visit mizzou.com/discounts
- Promo Code to save 25% at the Mizzou Store (online or in-store)
- View retailer discounts available throughout the country
How to I connect with other alumni?
- Find other alums using the alumni database.
How do I become an alumni mentor?
- Contact Emmy Matthews at emmy.bonderer@gmail.com
How do I volunteer to speak at a student forum?
- Please contact Rick Sommer at sommerr@health.missouri.edu or 573-882-1783, who schedules Wednesday Forums and other professional development events/sessions for the students. We are always looking for volunteers to talk about their organization and current trends in healthcare.
How do I host an internship for a student?
- Please contact Rick Sommer at sommerr@health.missouri.edu or 573-882-1783.
How do I host an Executive Management Study (EMS Project)?
- Please contact Sue Boren at BorenS@health.missouri.edu or 573-882-1492. Dr. Boren identifies the projects during the summer and organizes the EMS teams in the early fall to work on projects through the fall and spring semesters.
Can I assist a student in their professional development in some other, less time consuming, way?
- YES! If you would be willing to conduct “mock interviews” and/or resume reviews, contact Rick Sommer at sommerr@health.missouri.edu or 573-882-1783. Pairings are generally set up early in the Fall semester but can occur throughout the year if a student has a need for additional help.
For more information, to submit news about yourself or other alumni, or to get involved with our organization, contact:
Master of Health Administration Program
College of Health Sciences
University of Missouri
326 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-884-0698
E-mail: borens@health.missouri.edu / mhaadmissions@missouri.edu