CHIME18 Keynoter Emily Chang Weighs in on IT, Workplace Issues and More

10.24.2018
Candace Stuart – Director, Communications & Public Relations

 

Emily Chang, host of “Bloomberg Technology” and a keynote speaker at the 2018 CHIME Fall CIO Forum, discusses trends in healthcare IT, women in the IT workplace, the value of programs like Women of CHIME and diversity initiatives in a Q &A.

What notable trends have emerged in healthcare IT recently? What is driving those trends?

Artificial Intelligence is perhaps the most exciting thing that’s happened to healthcare IT in a generation. AI is powering more seamless interaction between doctor and patient, more personalized treatments and new drug discovery. This can be as simple as a digital app that shares information between patient and doctor or as transformational as curing diseases one at a time. DNA testing has become faster and cheaper while imaging technology has greatly improved, all unlocking troves of data, a virtual goldmine to patients, doctors and researchers. The healthcare industry will need to develop much more efficient ways to ingest, analyze, move and share that data safely, so that valuable information can be exploited while privacy is secured.

Within the information technology world, are there certain specialties that are more open to hiring women and diverse populations? If so, why?

In the technology industry, women are far better represented in business and marketing roles than they are in technical roles. Stereotypes of what makes a good computer engineer or programmer run deep and those stereotypes favor men. Employers are pattern matching for people who look like Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos, none of whom are women. Furthermore, the tech industry bills itself as a meritocracy where anyone can succeed, however, a true meritocracy is impossible to achieve. There are some sectors where women entrepreneurs have broken out but overall, women are still very underrepresented across the industry.

CHIME created a Women of CHIME program in recent years to support female members. How important is it that such a group exist?

Employee resource groups to support workers of all backgrounds are incredibly important. Such groups give employees an opportunity to connect, network and even collaborate on broader diversity and inclusion initiatives and explore problems facing certain communities. They provide a safe space for workers to feel comfortable expressing their views and can also provide crucial leads on recruiting. Leadership should remain engaged in such groups in order for them to have a real voice and remain connected to the company, and the overall goal should be to include all workers within the whole company regardless of lower-level networking opportunities.

This year CHIME is launching a diversity initiative to encourage a broad swath of students to consider health IT careers. Has this approach been successful in Silicon Valley? If so, how and why?

Outreach to students and next generation workers is critical to keep the pipeline open from schools to industry. But making sure those young workers feel included and motivated once they arrive is just as critical. Many big tech companies have committed millions of dollars to encourage more students to study computer science, but the diversity statistics at these companies are not changing. Tech companies also need to reform their hiring and promotion processes and re-set their cultural values to make sure the pipeline can flow freely.

What advice would you give a young person who is considering a career in healthcare IT?

You can do it! And, we need you! Look for a company where you feel you will have a voice, where you can find your team, colleagues who will advocate for and mentor you, and where you can not only be challenged, but be yourself. With work and life becoming increasingly intertwined, don’t just choose a job, choose life.

Editor’s note: Emily Chang will speak at 8:30 a.m. PST at the CHIME Fall CIO Forum in San Diego. Her presentation will be live streamed for members who cannot attend.

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