May brings a season of celebration and reflection across North Carolina, marked by graduations, Mother’s Day, and the many personal and professional milestones that bring our communities together. These moments remind us of the importance of growth, connection, and the people who support and inspire us along the way.

In healthcare and health IT, this spirit of progress is especially meaningful as we continue advancing innovative solutions that strengthen care delivery and improve outcomes for communities across our state. Together, as a community of HIMSS North Carolina members, we remain committed to collaboration, knowledge sharing, and empowering the next generation of leaders who will help shape the future of healthcare in North Carolina.

Thank you for being part of the HIMSS North Carolina community. We look forward to another month of learning, collaboration, and advancing healthcare together.

HIMSS North Carolina Leadership Lens

The HIMSS North Carolina Leadership Lens is a recurring newsletter feature in which board members will take turns sharing their insights from their work, personal experiences, leadership journeys, perspectives on industry trends, and thoughts on the evolving healthcare technology landscape. Whether it’s a project they’re passionate about, a lesson learned, an emerging issue, or a broader reflection on the work shaping our field, this series offers a chance to get to know the leaders helping guide the HIMSS North Carolina chapter.

Jordan Rogers

Director of Relationship Marketing, NC Telehealth Network Association, and
Marketing Co-Chair, HIMSS North Carolina Board of Directors

HIMSS North Carolina Member Since July 2025

A few weekends ago, I visited my husband’s family in Wilmington and got to spend time with my three-year-old nephew, Pearson. Since we live a few hours away in the Triad, my sister-in-law and I often catch up over the phone while we’re both in the car or running errands. Pearson can usually be heard from the backseat, and he enjoys chiming in over Bluetooth to say hello.

During this recent visit, Pearson kept pressing his little hand flat against his ear and shouting, “Okay, what you doing? JoJo is so busy, so busy!” (Apparently, I say that more than I realized.)

Whenever he’d yell, “JOJO CALL ME!” I’d instinctively make the classic phone gesture I grew up with — the sideways “hang loose” sign with thumb to ear and pinky to mouth. You know, like an old-school home phone. Over and over, Pearson corrected me: “NO JOJO! CALL ME!” while pressing his hand flat against his ear. It took us the whole weekend to realize he was mimicking the shape of an iPhone.

Even the universal act of pretending to make a phone call has changed in just one generation because of the way technology has evolved.

I often get playfully teased for being one of the younger leaders in the spaces I’m in, but for the first time, I was truly humbled by a generational technology-based difference. What felt second nature to many of us growing up is already being redefined by the next generation. That small, silly moment stuck with me because it perfectly captures how quickly technology evolves — often so gradually we don’t notice it until something simple makes us step outside of our own experience, pause, and reflect.

Healthcare is experiencing that same pace of transformation, just on a much larger scale. The tools, systems, and technologies shaping care delivery today would have felt unimaginable not long ago, and the pace of change shows no signs of slowing.

On the drive home, I found myself thinking about healthcare communication. If you asked a provider fifty years ago to physically act out recording patient information during an appointment, they’d likely pretend to hold a clipboard and scribble notes across imaginary pages. If you asked providers today, they’d likely pretend to type. And what would using some of the newest technologies — like an AI-based scribe tool — look like? Perhaps simply turning toward a patient and being fully present in the conversation.

How do we keep pace with a world that seems to evolve exclusively in the fast lane? How do we stay informed about emerging technologies and thoughtfully determine how to leverage them? How do we make sure we’re not presenting comfortable, familiar, but antiquated rotary-phone-style solutions to parts of our organizations that need and deserve modern tools? How do we bring people, processes, and technology forward together?

That’s exactly why organizations like HIMSS matter. They create space for shared learning, collaboration, and forward-thinking conversations that help us not only keep up with change but navigate it together. HIMSS pushes us to challenge our assumptions, and ensure we’re always prepared to thoughtfully leverage innovation and technology in ways that improve healthcare delivery for patients and providers across North Carolina.

I’m truly honored to help kick off the HIMSS North Carolina Leadership Lens series, where each month a board member will share a brief perspective drawn from their work, experiences, leadership journey, or observations on the evolving healthcare technology landscape. I encourage you to keep an eye on each month’s newsletter for fresh insights and reflections from the incredible leaders helping shape the future of healthcare technology in our state.

Upcoming Events

HIMSS North Carolina Annual Conference

The HIMSS North Carolina Annual Conference returns to Raleigh, NC at the NCSU McKimmon Center on October 19-20, 2026 with the theme “Shaping the Future of Health in the Carolinas,” bringing together regional healthcare and technology leaders to explore innovation, data, and collaboration in advancing care delivery. This year’s presenters include Daniel Carnegie, MD, Chief Data Officer, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, who leads statewide data strategy and analytics initiatives; David McSwain, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, UNC Health, a nationally recognized leader in digital health and clinical informatics; and Valerie Rogers, MPH, Senior Vice President, Digital Health Strategy & Operations, HIMSS, who provides global insight into digital transformation and healthcare innovation. Together, these thought leaders will set the stage for impactful discussions on the future of health across the Carolinas.

More details to come!

Spring Social Recap

“Cybersecurity is patient safety…and rural hospitals are disproportionately impacted by cybersecurity risks…”
Will Hall (UNC Health, Chair of HIMSS North Carolina Cybersecurity Workgroup)

HIMSS North Carolina Spring Social at Topgolf Greensboro on May 7 brought together healthcare IT and cybersecurity professionals for an evening of thoughtful discussion, meaningful networking, and community connection. As organizations continue navigating the reality of tightening budgets alongside increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, our panel delivered an insightful, candid, and highly relevant conversation on what it takes to remain resilient while protecting critical healthcare infrastructure and patient care. Special thanks to our outstanding panelists, Neil Dunn (UNC Health), Tom Maniaci (Duke University Health System), and Eddie Parish (EmergeOrtho), for generously sharing their expertise and real-world perspectives. A particular shoutout to moderator Will Hall (UNC Health), whose thoughtful questions, energy, and expert facilitation made for an exceptionally engaging discussion.

A special thanks to Netskope for sponsoring the event and helping make this valuable gathering possible. Most importantly, thank you to all of the NC HIMSS members who joined us. Your engagement, questions, and continued commitment to advancing healthcare technology across North Carolina are what make this community so strong.

Sponsored By

HIMSS North Carolina Clinician Networking Event 

HIMSS North Carolina recently hosted an intimate and meaningful networking event that brought clinicians together for a candid, peer-driven discussion. Designed as a provider-focused forum, the session encouraged open dialogue and honest conversations around real-world healthcare challenges and solutions.

A key focus of the discussion was one of healthcare’s most pressing concerns: workforce challenges. Clinicians shared perspectives on staffing shortages, burnout, evolving care models, and innovative strategies their organizations are implementing to improve retention, support care teams, and sustain high-quality patient care.

Participants also explored broader topics shaping the future of healthcare delivery, including population health initiatives, hospice care considerations, and the evolving role of nursing. These conversations reinforced the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and the need to align technology, care models, and workforce strategies to better serve patients and communities.

Overall, the event highlighted the value of creating trusted spaces where clinicians can exchange insights, learn from one another, and work collectively toward solutions for today’s most complex healthcare challenges.

News

Social Media

These are the platforms where the HIMSS North Carolina Chapter actively shares updates, events, and announcements. If you’re not already following us, use the links below to stay connected.

Chapter Sponsor Highlights 

How do these sponsors support healthcare IT?

Elisity helps enterprises achieve Zero Trust security with cloud-managed, identity-based network segmentation that reduces risk and complexity using existing infrastructure. Founded in 2019, the company serves a growing number of Fortune 500 customers worldwide. https://www.elisity.com

Proficient Health streamlines generating, tracking, and managing referrals. Our innovative referral management system allows ACOs, health systems, and healthcare providers to easily handle referrals, ensuring seamless coordination and improved patient care. https://proficienthealth.com/

Secure a sponsorship spot for NC HIMSS events for the 2026-2027 year! Click here to Become a Sponsor – North Carolina HIMSS (nchimss.org). For questions, please contact McRay Simmons.