HIMSS Professional Certification for Minority Students and Professionals

We recently wrapped up our certification grant program for 2024 and wanted to share some insights and successes. For the third consecutive year, the HIMSS Foundation, in collaboration with the HIMSS Global Health Equity Network, supported the HIMSS Professional Certification Grant for Minority Professionals and Students. This program was launched during Global Health Equity Week, held from October 23-27, 2023. Its goal is to attract and equip a diverse workforce in health IT, helping underrepresented students and professionals prepare for the Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS®) or the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS®) exams, depending on their suitability.

This year, we received nearly 50 grant applications. After the application period closed, each submission was reviewed to confirm eligibility. Eligible applications were then evaluated by a selection committee that used standardized scoring criteria. This year’s committee included six members from the HIMSS Professional Development team, representing diverse backgrounds. The committee discussed each application, and grant recipients were identified. All applicants, regardless of the outcome, were informed about their application status. Those not selected were encouraged to reapply in the future, while successful applicants received details about the next steps. This year’s funds were allocated across 24 recipients, 14 for the CAHIMS program and 10 for the CPHIMS program.

Grant recipients were provided with materials designed to enhance their understanding of the competencies assessed in the exam process, along with tools to prepare for the testing. Resources included a review guide, on-demand review courses, study tips, and more. HIMSS staff also offered ongoing support through various outreach activities, including an onboarding session, recurring office hours, and regular communications. The program kicked off in January, with key milestones encouraging participants to apply for the exam by May 31 and to complete it by July 31.

As in previous years, this year’s cohort of grant recipients achieved great success. We are proud of their accomplishments and would like to share a few testimonials from our grant recipients.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to take a major step in my professional development. The learnings from preparing for the CAHIMS exam gave me a deeper insight into the foundation of healthcare technology. Most importantly, this was a defining step for my career. I learned key terms and processes that gave meaning to the career path I desired to pursue. Finally, this exam was in alignment with my master’s degree in health informatics, which I recently started, and I'm able to grasp things easily, as well as ideas, and contribute greatly to seminars and classes.”

Timileyin Awolola, CAHIMS - Applied AI Program Design and Delivery, Vector Institute

“This program has given structure and direction to my previous practice of Health Informatics. I wasn’t aware that some activities had names or procedures, so I constantly linked past events to various concepts in the provided resources. Besides this, it also gave me an invaluable network of colleagues across the world. By obtaining a credential that gives me access to important settings in Health IT anywhere in the world, I can now work towards improving the experience of our patients and bridge the gaps in processes and documentation to promote interoperability and business/clinical insights. One of my long-term goals is to put my institution on the map for health tech maturity and lead it to the top.”

Ibukun Akinrinola, PharmD, M.Sc, FPCPharm, OCP, CPHMIS - Pioneer and Head, Pharmacy Informatics, University College Hospital, Ibadan-Nigeria

If you're interested in learning more about this program, we invite you to visit our website. The call for applications will open this fall, coinciding with Global Health Equity Week, from November 11-15, 2024.