Patricia C. Skarulis Named CHIME-HIMSS 2008 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year

CHIME and HIMSS jointly sponsor this annual award honoring a CIO for lifetime achievement


CHICAGO and ANN ARBOR, Mich. (February 5, 2009) –The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have named Patricia Castel Skarulis as the recipient of the 2008 CHIME-HIMSS John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year Award. Skarulis is vice president and chief information officer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, where she oversees all computing and communications for the clinical, research and educational enterprise.

“Pat has been an extraordinary leader both as a CIO for healthcare organizations, as well as for CIO professional organizations,” said CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll. “It is entirely fitting that she be bestowed with this great honor for her many contributions.”

Active in the healthcare community and as a member of both organizations, Skarulis is a charter member of CHIME and has served as its chair. She is a recognized and frequent speaker at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition. Before joining Sloan Kettering, Skarulis served in a similar capacity as Vice President and CIO at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago where she was also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Systems Management.

In her nomination of Skarulis for the award, Sue Schade, chief information officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, said “Pat has become one of the leading CIOs in our country - someone that many turn to for advice and guidance … she often speaks at industry conferences sharing insight and experience with others. She has written numerous articles and serves on several advisory boards. However, as any good CIO should, she focuses most of her time and energy on her own organization.”

Established in 1990, the award is named in honor of John E. Gall, Jr. who pioneered the implementation of healthcare information systems at El Camino Hospital in the 1960s. The Board of Directors of CHIME and HIMSS jointly select the award recipient, who, in the opinion of the joint Boards of Directors, has best demonstrated the qualities of leadership in healthcare as described in the award criteria. Skarulis will be recognized for a lifetime of success and achievement as a CIO in the healthcare IT industry at the Annual Awards Banquet, which will be held on April 4 at HIMSS09 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago,

“HIMSS and our members join with CHIME to congratulate Patricia Skarulis on receipt of this award,” said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, president/CEO of HIMSS. “We recognize the contributions this CIO has made to our industry and her organization through her outstanding leadership skills and business acumen.”

Learn about the CHIME-HIMSS John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year Award.

Find out more about tickets to the HIMSS Awards Banquet.


About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) was formed with the dual objectives of serving the professional development needs of healthcare CIOs and advocating the more effective use of information management within healthcare. CHIME’s events and activities were designed to reflect that purpose, including CIO-oriented surveys, education programs, and networking activities. With membership of more than 1,300 CIOs, CHIME has established itself as the premier organization serving the needs of healthcare CIOs. CHIME’s educational initiatives are supported by the CHIME Foundation, a group of 67 providers of healthcare IS products and services. To learn more about CHIME and the CHIME Foundation, see www.cio-chime.org.

About HIMSS
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States and the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 350 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care.

For more information contact:
Joyce Lofstrom/HIMSS
312-915-9237 – jlofstrom@himss.org

Katie Weitkamp/CHIME
734-665-0000 -- kweitkamp@cio-chime.org

UPDATED: 4/14/2009 3:54:28 PM