OFFICERS

Katrina Lanahan - President
Email: ksalmons@umich.edu
I am a second-year student in the Health Behavior and Health Education Department, pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) and the Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics. One of the things I love the most about health informatics, is the ability to work across disciplines. This summer I had the opportunity to do just that as a behavioral science intern at the Center for Health Communications Research. With technology-based tailored health communications, public health can make a deeper impact on long-term behavior change. It’s these kinds of consumer health informatics applications that I’m passionate about. I’m excited to get more people involved in health informatics and explore possibilities in this field. My background is in community-based health education and nonprofit work. In my free time I’m either out rock climbing or whipping up something in my kitchen.

Mohamad Yassine - Vice President
Email: miyassin04@gmail.com
I am a third year pharmacy student with a background in finance and accounting. I am very interested in new technologies and how we can adapt them to our present day needs. I find health informatics particularly interesting because of the different facets it involves within pharmacy and other health related fields. This summer I had the opportunity to intern at Blue Cross Blue Shield in the pharmacy operations department. I was able to learn about some of the different ways they are using technology and informatics to create a better health system. My goal for this organization is explore different areas of health informatics and create awareness for other students with interests in health technologies.

Chris Liu - Webmaster
Email: yliuyliu@umich.edu
I am a second-year Master of Health Informatics student, with great passions on health information systems, health information exchange, and personal informatics. Currently, I am doing projects in human-computer interaction, web development, and personal mobile application. With the advances of computing power, interconnectivity, and data analytics, the healthcare delivery will incorporate more scenarios, such as integrated health records, low-cost telemedicine, and consumer-facing applications. I tend to believe that more technology thoughtfully introduced is expected for the enhancement of clinical practice - especially information access, the diagnostic and therapeutic components, and long-term disease management. I am also an entrepreneur and working on a health informatics platform serving for patients. During my free time I enjoy playing all kinds of sports.

Rahim Merchant - Treasurer
Email: rmerch@umich.edu
As a 3rd year Pharm.D student I've had the opportunity to explore many of the pathways within pharmacy. Of my interests within the field, I find informatics particularly interesting due to its potential to provide better patient outcomes and reduce medication errors. As a member of HISO, my goal is to gain additional insight into the field of health informatics and to provide engaging events for other students interested in HIT.

Monica Guo - Secretary
Email: guomon@umich.edu
I'm Monica Guo and I'm a first-year in the Masters of Health Informatics program. I adore useful technology -- the key word being 'useful' -- and learning about how people in different fields -- like you! -- are applying it to their practices. In particular, I'm interested and have experience in designing electronic health education resources and assessing user adoption.

Nick Reid - Master of Health Informatics Liaison
I'm a designer/developer from the California bay area. My primary interests are developing digital behavioral health interventions for specific communities. When I'm not in class you can find me rock climbing, "fixing" my bicycle or enjoying a craft beverage.

Jim Rampton - School of Information
Last year I was fortunate enough to be the Co-President of the Health Informatics Society, where I was able to expand my experiences in Health Informatics. Currently, I am a second year dual-degree masters student pursuing a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and a Masters of Science in Information (MSI), in addition to the Certificate in Health Informatics. My hope is that I can learn how to develop health communications that are based in theory and new technologies.

Katie Johnson - Pharmacy Liaison
Katie is a second-year student at the College of Pharmacy pursing her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Her interest in health informatics developed from an appreciation for simplifying complicated processes, which she believes is especially important in health care when patients’ health and safety depend on reliable information systems and the surrounding workflow. Katie is currently interning at UMHS in the area of pharmacy informatics and medication use systems. Her work includes assisting with the implementation of Epic Systems for inpatient and pharmacy use. She hopes to increase awareness of health informatics, its importance, and opportunities among other graduate and professional students in the field of health care. When she isn't too busy studying drugs, Katie enjoys sewing and other craft projects, and spending time with friends.