Presentation & Speaker Details

Christina Caraballo, MBA, is a globally recognized leader working to transform health care by aligning her passions for policy, innovation, interoperability, consumer engagement, and equitable access to usable health information. Her mission is to advance health IT adoption and improve health outcomes at the local, national, and global levels.

As vice president of informatics at HIMSS, Caraballo leads the Clinical Informatics, Strategic Advisory, Interoperability and Standards, Operations and Implementation, and Privacy, Security, and Cybersecurity teams. She brings deep expertise in addressing real-world industry challenges, with a focus on expanding access to information, supporting vulnerable populations, and strengthening communities.

An active leader in the health IT sector, Caraballo champions industry initiatives that promote health IT adoption, interoperability, and patient engagement. She works closely with a broad network of stakeholders across government and the private sector.

Dr. Matthew Hanauer is senior director of data science at MedeAnalytics, bringing more than 15 years of AI leadership to healthcare transformation. With a doctorate from Indiana University, he has delivered more than $15 million in quantifiable healthcare savings through enterprise AI initiatives spanning EMR/EHR integration, value-based care optimization and predictive modeling. Hanauer has pioneered generative AI healthcare solutions, including agentic AI advisors and RAG-based tools, while publishing more than 30 papers and developing more than 15 production-grade products. Recently named to Becker’s “Rising Stars: 100 Healthcare Leaders Under 40,” he also serves as chief technology officer at Compliance AI and mentors emerging data scientists, driving innovation at the intersection of AI and healthcare.

Michelle G. Ries is president and CEO of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM), where she has served for more than a decade in roles including associate director. She has led statewide initiatives on serious illness care, dementia, Medicaid reform, child and family well-being, and pandemic response, including the Scarce Resource Allocation Protocol and Vaccine Advisory Committee during COVID-19. Ries also spearheaded NCIOM’s Legislative Health Policy Fellows program, which equips lawmakers with evidence-based tools to address health policy.

Before joining NCIOM, Ries worked at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City and with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She holds a master’s in public health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health leadership at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Sean Sylvia, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. A global health economist, his research uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods to study innovative approaches for improving health service delivery in underserved communities worldwide.Sylvia co-directs the Digital Health Economics and Policy Lab at UNC, where he leads interdisciplinary teams that integrate behavioral, data and computer sciences to advance health policy research for the digital age. His work focuses on leveraging collective intelligence and artificial intelligence to enhance clinical decision-making and expand access to quality care. Recent projects examine health care digitization strategies, the design of digital systems that improve access and quality, and sustainable models for technology integration in resource-constrained settings.His research has been published in the BMJ, PLOS Medicine, Health Services Research, the Journal of Health Economics, World Development and the Economic Journal. His work bridges rigorous academic research with practical innovation, contributing to both scholarly advancement and real-world health system improvements.Before joining UNC, Sylvia held positions at Renmin University of China, Stanford University and the World Bank. He earned a doctorate in agricultural and resource economics with a concentration in development economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. He also co-founded CollectiveGood Health, which operationalizes research insights to enhance clinical practice through AI validation, peer consultation networks and collective intelligence platforms that support clinical decision-making and expand access to specialist expertise.

Dr. Al Villarin is the Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer at Nuvance-Nothwell Health, a not-for-profit health system serving communities across New York and Connecticut. With extensive experience in informatics leadership, Dr. Villarin leads efforts to integrate AI and digital tools across clinical operations, driving improvements in efficiency, patient care, and clinician experience. His work centers on applying technology responsibly and meaningfully within the context of frontline healthcare delivery.

Carine Yehya recently earned her Master of Management in Clinical Informatics from Duke University, where she focused on leveraging data and digital solutions to improve health care systems. She has professional experience at UNC Hospitals and currently supports clinical operations in a family emergency setting.At Duke, Yehya co-led the development of a predictive dashboard to optimize donor breast milk ordering and forecasting at Duke Health. She also contributed to the Galileo Project, which examined health care access and equity among Middle Eastern immigrant populations in the United States. Yehya is pursuing additional graduate studies and is dedicated to advancing innovation and equity in health care, with upcoming engagements including HIMSS.

Dave Galich is the chief product officer for Avanade’s Smart AI Governance Engine (SAIGE), a responsible AI platform built with healthcare, for healthcare. A technology innovator and product leader, Galich is at the forefront of healthcare transformation.He leads the development of SAIGE in close collaboration with industry stakeholders, ensuring their feedback shapes the platform’s roadmap. As SAIGE becomes publicly available, Galich also oversees efforts to make the service affordable and accessible to health organizations of all sizes—helping scale a standardized AI governance process across the industry.In addition to his product role, Galich leads Avanade’s North America Advisory practice, where he manages a team of digital, technology and organizational strategists focused on helping clients maximize the value of Microsoft technologies. His leadership continues to drive strategic growth in the healthcare technology space.

David Jinorio Swanson is a dynamic leader in healthcare analytics, currently serving as the Program Manager for Revenue Cycle Analytics at UNC Healthcare in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With a robust background in business intelligence and revenue cycle management, David has established himself as an expert in driving operational efficiency and enhancing data-driven decision-making processes.

David has spent the last 10 years helping healthcare organizations successfully transition their workloads to the AWS Cloud. His experience includes driving initiatives such as Epic EHR on AWS, digital front door, remote patient monitoring, population health, and AI/ML solutions. He holds certifications in CPHIMS, AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Machine Learning, and Generative AI. Overall, he brings over 20 years of broad IT experience, working with organizations both in the US and internationally.

Donny Wilson is a principal solutions architect and global HCLS security and compliance lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He leads the HCLS Security and Compliance Focus Area and advises healthcare customers on security strategies, compliance, threat detection and response, and resilient architectures. Wilson has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and enterprise IT, having served as a chief architect and information security officer before joining AWS. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from East Tennessee State University and lives in North Carolina. He also holds certifications including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Jack Pomeroy is a manager in UNC’s Information Systems Enterprise and Analytics Services department with over 20 years of experience in analytics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, he is known for his ability to turn complex data into meaningful dialogue. Jack has authored numerous high-utilization analytical assets that support strategic decision-making across many organizations. He is most proud of helping others grow in their analytical journeys, fostering a collaborative and curious data community.

Jason Buskirk is vice president of enterprise data and analytics at ECU Health, where he leads strategic initiatives in artificial intelligence, ERP modernization and enterprise analytics. He oversees the organization’s Microsoft Fabric environment, including Power BI, PowerApps, Copilot Studio and AI Foundry. He works closely with executive leadership to align digital health strategy with operational execution, particularly in AI maturity modeling and workforce transformation.

Before joining ECU Health, Buskirk was director of clinical and business analytics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he advanced analytics maturity through a federated model that combined technical expertise and operational insight across the health system.

Earlier in his career at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, he helped develop a pioneering health care data model that gained national academic recognition. He later co-founded Health Care DataWorks to commercialize the model and held multiple leadership roles there. The company was named one of Central Ohio’s fastest-growing private firms in 2013 and 2014, and Buskirk played a key role in its acquisition by Health Catalyst in 2015.

Jeremy Stephens is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Tidelands Health in South Carolina, where he leads the HR function for a 3,000-employee system. He has spearheaded workforce innovations that helped the organization earn national recognition as one of the “Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare” for three consecutive years.Before joining Tidelands Health, Stephens held HR executive roles at the University of Michigan Health System and Trinity Health’s Chelsea Community Hospital. He also served as cabinet-level CHRO for the State of Michigan under two gubernatorial administrations. In each role, he introduced systemwide reforms, launched innovative HR operating models, and drove measurable gains in employee engagement, compliance, and cost control.Stephens is founder and CEO of HR Day USA, one of the largest HR professional gatherings in the U.S., with more than 1,500 annual attendees. HR Day has been recognized by governors in Michigan and South Carolina and has elevated the HR profession and workforce development across states.A certified executive coach and Lean principles-trained leader, Stephens is a frequent speaker on HR transformation, workforce strategy, and leadership in times of change. He serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board, appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster, and is a member of the Wall College of Business Visitors Board at Coastal Carolina University.He holds a master’s degree in human resource management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University.

Jordan Rogers is the Director of Relationship Marketing for the NC Telehealth Network Association (NCTNA), a member-led nonprofit that connects North Carolina’s public and nonprofit healthcare providers with reliable, medical-grade broadband. Through NCTNA, members access a secure statewide fiber optic network and FCC-funded broadband discounts. One of her current areas of focus is preserving and modernizing the Universal Service Fund, which helps fund broadband for healthcare providers, schools, and libraries nationwide. A first-generation college graduate from Appalachian State University, Jordan’s nonprofit journey began with sea turtle conservation on the NC coast. She later worked in the Seychelles of Africa, serving as a dual marketing specialist and conservationist on Fregate Private Island. When she returned to the U.S., she transitioned to marketing for nonprofit and private healthcare, supporting drug and alcohol rehabilitation hospitals and leading marketing efforts for surgical groups in South Carolina. Now back in her home state of North Carolina, Jordan is passionate about supporting healthcare providers through her work with NCTNA.

Mahmoud Alwakeel, MD, MMCi, is a clinical informatics fellow at Duke University Health System and a practicing intensivist. Blending frontline critical care experience with advanced training in data science, he designs and deploys AI-enabled analytics that streamline clinical operations and improve patient outcomes. His recent work includes automated cohort-building for research, developing tools that make AI accessible to low- and no-code professionals, and creating demand-informed scheduling dashboards for ambulatory services. Dr. Alwakeel routinely collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to translate complex electronic health record data into actionable insights for clinicians, managers and executives.

Matt Cox is Executive Director of Digital Value Creation at Duke Health System, where he leads enterprise initiatives to improve efficiency and scale digital capabilities. He has more than 25 years of experience in product management, payer operations, and healthcare strategy, with leadership roles at Deloitte, Lumeris, and Virtual Radiologic. Cox has launched market innovations and brings expertise in practice management, accounting, coding, clinically integrated networks, and operational redesign using AI automation.

Mike Plesh is an Executive Director of Information Technology at UNC Health, where he transforms the way healthcare data is leveraged across North Carolina. Mike is a dynamic leader, orchestrating the seamless integration of data to elevate patient care, not just within hospitals and clinics, but also through state and national data exchange initiatives.His leadership extends to pioneering data science advancements and steering enterprise reporting, and ensuring that the Carolina Data Warehouse for Health operates at peak efficiency in support of clinical research initiatives for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mike’s expertise also shines in the technical oversight of clinical research build within UNC Health’s electronic health record application, making him a pivotal force in the future of healthcare innovation.

As the Chief Analytics Officer, Rachini Moosavi champions data, analytics, and AI adoption across the UNC Health system. Her focus on modern analytics strategy and architecture, aligned with the organization’s goals, has led UNC Health to seamlessly join the top health systems in pioneering and adoption of Augmented Intelligence (AI) and driving a data and analytics empowerment culture. A renowned speaker, she has presented at numerous events and conferences nationwide, promoting the benefits of analytics culture, data management and quality, and augmented intelligence to transform healthcare. Leading, communicating, and empowering others well-defines her focus as a data and analytics leader in healthcare.

Dr. Afshar is the AI Translation Lead at the Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he focuses on bridging emerging technologies with real-world health system needs. HSIL, based in Boston, partners with ministries of health, hospitals, and multilateral agencies across more than 25 countries to strengthen health systems through innovation, policy, and implementation research. Dr. Afshar is also an academic surgeon with over 20 years of experience in healthcare delivery both in the U.S. and globally, and a founder of multiple healthcare and technology ventures that translate clinical insight into sustainable impact.

Dr. Farooq is a second-year clinical informatics fellow at UNC Hospitals, where he serves as assistant lead informatician within UNC Health’s ISD division. His current projects and initiatives include clinical decision support optimization, quality improvement, population health informatics, interoperability and AI governance.He recently completed his Master of Management in Clinical Informatics (MMCi) at the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Farooq also serves as faculty in the Division of Hospital Medicine as a clinical instructor.

Sophia Bessias is the Assistant Director of Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight, where she leads program operations to support safe, effective, and fair implementation of algorithm-based technologies at Duke Health. She holds Master’s degrees in Analytics and Public Health from NC State University and the University of Copenhagen and has more than ten years of experience working at the intersection of data science and public health. Her work is informed by previous roles developing and integrating clinical prediction models at UNC Health, coordinating clinical research studies, and providing direct patient services for HIV care and prevention.

Svetlana Makarova is an AI strategist and product builder at Mayo Clinic, where she leads the development of AI-powered solutions to transform clinical workflows and improve care delivery. With more than a decade of experience in healthcare and digital health, she has guided organizations through the complexities of AI adoption at the intersection of technology, strategy and patient care.She is also the founder of Spark Change, an advisory firm that helps businesses adopt AI strategically and achieve repeatable ROI. Makarova is recognized for bridging technical innovation with human-centered design, enabling organizations to responsibly and effectively harness the power of AI.

Tamara Barksdale is a business intelligence analyst at UNC Health with nearly a decade of experience using data to create visualizations that deliver clear insights to diverse audiences. She specializes in metric development, cross-functional collaboration and translating stakeholder requirements into operational improvements.Barksdale has worked with healthcare executives to streamline workflows, reduce costs and oversee initiatives across a range of care settings. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in psychology and sociology, both from Old Dominion University. She is focused on advancing healthcare adaptability by leveraging data to support informed, data-driven decision-making.

Tara Templin, PhD MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina and a Faculty Fellow at the Carolina Population Center. Dr. Templin is a health economist who studies the causes of population health improvement in resource-constrained settings using a wide range of quantitative tools, from applied microeconometrics to machine learning for causal inference. Dr. Templin’s research focuses on the population-level socioeconomic causes and consequences of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and cost-effective public health policies for their prevention and treatment. In previous and continuing projects, Dr. Templin led studies on the economic drivers of nutrition-related chronic illness, how conditional cash transfers may influence obesity and hypertension rates, global health system financing and preparedness for NCDs, and effective treatments for cardiometabolic disease within resource-constrained health systems.Dr. Templin was previously a National Institute on Aging T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Berkeley Population Center and in the Department of Demography at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Data Science Scholar at Stanford Data Science. Prior to Stanford, Dr. Templin was a research fellow at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and worked for the Center for Global Development and Council on Foreign Relations. Templin completed a Ph.D. in Health Policy (Economics) and M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University and a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Columbia University.

Tiffany Crenshaw is the founder and CEO of Intellect Resources, a nationally recognized recruiting and consulting firm specializing in healthcare IT. Under her leadership, the company has placed thousands of professionals across hospitals, managed care organizations, and vendors, and has become a trusted partner in large-scale implementations and strategic advisory services. Tiffany’s entrepreneurial journey is marked by resilience and innovation. She successfully navigated Intellect Resources through the 2008–2010 recession, leading to a three-year period of unprecedented growth. In 2013, the company was ranked #39 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in the U.S., and Tiffany was named a finalist for Ernst & Young’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award. That same year, she was honored as the 4th Fastest Growing Woman-Led Company in North America by the Women Presidents’ Organization. Her accolades also include being named one of the “Women to Know in Healthcare IT” and receiving top rankings from Staffing Industry Analysts and Inc. Magazine for her firm’s explosive growth. Tiffany is a speaker on entrepreneurship and recruitment practices and has contributed to publications such as 101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career. Tiffany’s leadership philosophy is rooted inauthenticity, compassion, and the belief that career success is built on meaningful relationships. Her work has not only transformed organizations but also empowered countless professionals to thrive in their careers.

William Hall is a member of the Information Security team at UNC Health and co-chair of the NCHIMSS Cybersecurity Workgroup. With more than 25 years of IT experience, including over a decade dedicated to healthcare cybersecurity, he brings deep expertise in protecting critical systems and sensitive data. Hall’s work focuses on advancing security strategies, strengthening resilience against evolving threats, and fostering collaboration across the healthcare community.

As national medical director for AI and virtual care, Dr. Will Lopez leads the clinical implementation of Evernorth and Cigna Healthcare’s AI and virtual care strategy. He is involved in developing coverage policies, reimbursement strategies, government affairs, model governance, and evaluating emerging technologies. He supports projects to expand the use of generative AI models for clinical applications within the health plan and provides AI and generative AI training to clinical teams to support implementation across departments. He also offers clinical expertise to Cigna’s sales and marketing teams during client and stakeholder meetings.

Before joining Cigna in 2006, Dr. Lopez was medical director for psychiatric services at Snowden at Fredericksburg, a private behavioral health center in Virginia. He served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, practicing aerospace medicine. A veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he is committed to supporting veteran-related initiatives.

Dr. Lopez lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife. He enjoys hiking and mountain biking.

Before joining NCIOM, Ries worked at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City and with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She holds a master’s in public health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health leadership at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.