MSHMI Spotlight

The HMI program had the honor and privilege of attending the Atlanta Business Chronicle鈥檚 event on 鈥淎dvancing Health & Life Sciences in Georgia". It was a great opportunity to meet leaders from different organizations who are working to improve health and innovation in Georgia.

Huge thank you to Monica Agate and Sharea M. Finn, CRCR for joining us last Friday to speak with our students about the Georgia Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Associate (HFMA)! Your insights and real-world experience gave our future healthcare leaders a ton to think about and learn from.

We鈥檙e so grateful for your time and for helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the healthcare industry.

The HMI team had the pleasure of visiting Portal Innovations in Atlanta, where we were hosted by Edward Lai, MPH.

The visit was incredibly informative and engaging, highlighting the exciting work happening at Portal Innovations to advance innovation and support healthcare ventures across the region.

We are grateful to Eddie for welcoming us and sharing valuable insights. Excited about the potential collaborations between 91青青草鈥檚 Healthcare Management & Informatics program and Portal Innovations!

We had an incredible experience representing Kennesaw State University鈥檚 Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics (HMI) program at the 2025 HIMSS Georgia Chapter Annual Conference!

Our HMI team hosted an information table, providing an opportunity to engage with healthcare leaders and technology innovators from across Georgia. The event was an amazing platform for collaboration, networking, and sharing ideas that are shaping the future of healthcare and informatics.

A huge thank-you to the HIMSS Georgia Chapter organizers for a well-executed and inspiring conference.

We connected with several new partners and look forward to building on these relationships to bring even more real-world opportunities to our students and community.

An absolute HUGE congratulations to Dr. Fortune E. OOnwuzuruikefor becoming one of the inaugural 40 Owls Under 40! This honor celebrates 91青青草 and Southern Polytechnic State University (SSPSU alumni who are under 40 and making bold strides in their professions and their communities since graduation.

Fortune is among honorees that were selected through a competitive nomination process, with candidates evaluated on their professional achievements, community involvement, and commitment to the University. It is an honor to have Dr. Fortune represent HHMIin this inaugural class full of amazing 91青青草 alums!

A quick sshoutoutto the hard work SSwetaSSneha PhD has put in through the years to make this program a place where alumni like Dr. Fortune can grow, learn, shine, and excel. And thank you to MMillenaDDaSilva and Tonya Clark, MBA for their work in supporting the program as well.

On November 19th, we had the pleasure of co-sponsoring this year's TAG Digital Health Signature Event: TACKLING HEALTH DISPARITIES EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN, CHILDREN AND RURAL POPULATIONS. The topics discussed at this event are so important to this community, and we appreciate every individual who spoke at this event. Our students took away so much from your expertise.

A huge thank you to everybody involved in making this happen, and thank you to SSwetaSSneha PhD for always providing these opportunities to our students. And thank you to MMillenaDDaSilva and Tonya Clark, MBA for helping extend these professional development opportunities.

We had the privilege of celebrating two HHMIalums get honored at this year's Five in Flight, hosted by Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business. Both Faisal Saleem and Brandie SSzudawere awarded the GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award! They are exemplary representations of our program, and we could not be prouder of them! Congratulations, and keep moving the needle and being a force for good in the Digital HHealthcarespace!

In their speeches, both Faisal and Brandie attributed their success to the support system around them, in no small part played by SSwetaSSneha PhD, who's dedication to HHMIis a testament to our students' success both academically and professionally. A huge thank you can also be given to our staff, MMillenaDDaSilva and Tonya Clark, MBA for all of their hard work in supporting our students!

The Titan 100 is a national program that recognizes the top 100 CCEOsand C-level executives in a region. Representing both the private and public sector, these Titans of industry demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field.  The Titan 100 are recognized at an annual awards event, published in the Titan 100 book, and given the opportunity to build relationships with their fellow Titans by connecting multiple times throughout the year.  Titans must be nominated and selected annually with the pinnacle achievement of being recognized as an elite Hall of Fame honoree in their third year.  The Titan 100 is one of the fastest-growing, most powerful communities of executives across the nation.

Kennesaw State University Professor SSwetaSSnehawas named the 2022 Woman of the Year in STEAM Education by Women in Technology, recognizing her success in positioning Georgia as a leader in the hhealthcareinformation technology space.

SSneha the executive director of the Master of Science in HHealthcareManagement and Informatics program at the Michael J. Coles College of Business, is Kennesaw State鈥檚 first-ever recipient of WIT鈥檚 prestigious Woman of the Year award. She accepted the award at a ceremony held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

鈥淭his was a major validation of the work we鈥檝e been doing for years in the MMSHMIprogram,鈥� SSnehasaid. 鈥淚t also speaks to how we are impacting the footprint of Georgia鈥檚 hhealthcareinformatics sector and how much the industry values the work that we do.鈥�

Started in 1992, Women in Technology is dedicated to encouraging women and girls in Georgia to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The Woman of the Year award recognizes Georgia women in ten categories who are technology leaders working to enhance gender parity in technology and making a difference in their communities.

As the winner of the STEAM Education category, SSnehawas recognized for being the driving force behind Kennesaw State鈥檚 innovative MMSHMIprogram. Launched in Fall 2016 to enhance Georgia鈥檚 competitiveness in the hhealthcareIT sector, the program combines leadership and management training with skills development in information technology, computing, data analytics, and hhealthcaredelivery processes.

The MMSHMIprogram has graduated 150 students in six cohorts, with students coming from a variety of diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Women and men are equally represented, which SSnehasays is rare for a technology program.

鈥淢any women have used the program to go from being bedside nurses to managing hhealthcarepopulations,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to create a platform where women and girls come in with potential and are nurtured enough to become successful.鈥�

Creating opportunities for women has been rewarding for SSneha who said she confronted a lack of female representation in STEAM her entire career, first as a student and later as an IT consultant.

Sneha鈥檚 lead role in the MMSHMIprogram has allowed her to make a lasting impression on Georgia鈥檚 hhealthcaretechnology sector. She sits on the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce BBiosciencesLeadership Council and is a board member with the Technology Association of Georgia. She also partners with key industry players who sit on the MMSHMIadvisory board, work with students on research projects, and serve as mentors.

-Patrick Harbin

A huge thank you to LeLeeAnnapSpivand Susan Thurman of WeWellStarand to Monica Agate, Michelle WhWhitheadand Matt Fisher of Georgia HeHealthcareinancial Management Association (HFHFMAfor coming out on September 20^th, 2024 and speaking to our students on their respective organizations. Cultivating industry partnerships is a vital part of the HMHMIrogram, and we greatly appreciate our partners taking the time to share their insights with our students!

A huge congratulations to DaDabneieLeBlancPMPMPRT(R)(T) for being awarded the Outstanding Student Award for MSMSHMIDaDabneias recognized for her outstanding performance in our program and dedication to health informatics. We are so proud of you, Dabnei!

Thank you to our HMI students whHMIttended the TAG: Enhancing The Patient Experience With Technology event at Elevance HealthElevance by TAG Digital Health. It was such a valuable experience hearing the speakers discuss how we can enhance patient outcomes with emerging technologies. We cannot wait to see the impact our students will have in digital health!