Personal statement: “For years, I worked in the field of clinical information technology, always searching for the academic field that would enhance my applied skills with the underlying theoretical knowledge I needed. When I discovered the Center for Biomedical Informatics (now a department), I felt like I had come home! The faculty was brilliant, inspiring, caring, and supportive. The staff was knowledgeable and enabling, allowing us to work toward our goals without distraction. The students were among the brightest and most highly motivated people I have ever met, and I felt honored to be among them. At DBMI, students are made to feel an integral part of the department and are guided toward their life goals beyond school. Lifelong bonds as colleagues are formed with both faculty and classmates. As I begin my new career, I only hope that I can inspire my students as I was inspired at DBMI. My experience as an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Informatics and Nursing Informatics enabled me to share my experience and knowledge with students entering the field from both medicine and nursing, but because of the dynamic and evolving nature of clinical informatics, I have found that it is difficult to not be actively involved in its application in the clinical environment. So, I continue to work to implement clinical informatics systems, and to educate students by offering mentorship in the application of their informatics education.”
