The TIGER Initiative Comes Under HIMSS Management

On Sep. 30, the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) announced that the TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) Initiative had transitioned to coming under the aegis of HIMSS, effective Sep. 22.

As a press release published on Tuesday noted, “TIGER began as a grassroots initiative in 2006, with support from over 70 contributing organizations including HIMSS, two grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a personal endowment. Now, eight years later,” the press release said, “many volunteer hours and efforts have helped advance the TIGER cause.”

The press release quoted Joyce Sensmeier, R.N., a vice-president at HIMSS, as saying, “HIMSS is pleased to continue the momentum of the grassroots initiative and provide a robust vulnteer structure for TIGER. We look forward to advancing strategies for the recruitment, retention and training of current and future workforces in informatics education, practice, and research.”

Now that the transition is complete, the press release explained, “HIMSS will expand its clinical informatics activities to include:

• Reforming clinician education curriculum through the integration of IT, information literacy, informatics and the infusion of technologies for learning in a robust Virtual Learning Environment
• Developing and implementing learning innovations; fostering faculty development and ensuring universities and providers have the necessary health IT education infrastructure
• Identifying, modeling, and implementing collaborative partnerships among public and private academic enterprises to launch a graduate student intern Informatics Schol Program
• Increasing faculty and student acceptance and understanding of health IT through education and training, incentives, and necessary supports

For more information, readers can consult the TIGER Initiative website.