CHIMA announces new chair and board members

LONDON, Ont. – The Canadian Health Information Management Association ( CHIMA) is pleased to announce its new Board of Directors for 2017/18. CHIMA is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Van Oort (pictured), MLT, CHIMA (ON), as Chair of the CHIMA Board of Directors.

“Robert’s input as the past vice chair and secretary treasurer over the past year has positioned him well to assume the role of Chair, said Gail Crook, CEO and registrar of CHIMA. “As we embark on the task to operationalize our renewed Strategic Plan, Robert’s strong leadership experience will help frame our direction to better serve the Health Information Management (HIM) community in Canada.”

Robert Van Oort is currently the senior vice president and chief operating officer at the Dryden Regional Health Centre (DRHC). He has held various senior positions within the DRHC, where he had overall responsibility for Corporate Services, Planning, Support Services, Medical Affairs and Risk Management.

Robert has strong clinical and information management experience, being both a Medical Laboratory Technologist and Certified Health Information Manager, and helped introduce Electronic Health Records to the DRHC.

“This is an exciting time as the profession evolves,” said Van Oort. “As we move forward with our strategic review, we can look forward to a renewed, stronger CHIMA.”

Robert Van Oort is also pleased to announce CHIMA’s newly elected Board Directors:

• Kathleen Addison, (Alberta) – Kathleen is the Past Chair. She is a Senior Provincial Director of Health Information Management with Alberta Health Services in Calgary Alberta.
• Leah Anscombe (British Columbia) – Leah is the Vice Chair. She is the Director of Clinical and Information Support at the Vancouver Island Health Authority, in Victoria BC
• Yoel Robens-Paradise (British Columbia) – Yoel is the Secretary Treasurer. He is the Vice President of Clinical and Systems Transformation and Lower Mainland Health Information Management at Providence Health Care in Vancouver BC.
• Gail Crook (Ontario) – Gail is the CEO & Registrar of CHIMA/CCHIM.
• Karen Pietrangelo (Ontario) – Karen is a Director. She is the Manager Health Information Management / Patient Registration at the Niagara Health System in Niagara Falls Ontario.
• Marlene Raasok (Alberta) – Marlene is a Director. She has retired as the Executive Dean for the School of Health and Life Sciences and Community Services at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, and now resides in Alberta.
• Sonya Stasiuk (Alberta) – Sonya is a new incoming Director. She is the Director of the Data Management Unit at Alberta Health in Edmonton Alberta.
• Altaf Stationwala (Ontario) – Altaf is a Director. He is the President & CEO of the Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital Ontario.

About CHIMA
The Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) is the national organization that represents leadership and excellence in health information management. CHIMA supports continuing education and professional practice of HIM(r) professionals; develops strategic partnerships to advance the development and integration of electronic HIM; and advocates for and strengthens the HIM role in healthcare settings across the continuum of care. Health Information Management (HIM) professionals mitigate risk; assist the Ministries of Health in providing timely quality data; provide the healthcare industry with business intelligence to effectively manage costs; and ensure patient safety! Canadian certified professionals are educated in an accredited environment, and have the required analytic skills and apply strict standards in managing the public’s health record so that they can make informed life-decisions.