Sharon F. Canner joins CHIME as Director of Advocacy Programs

Ann Arbor, MI, May 8, 2008 – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) announced today that Sharon F. Canner has joined the organization as Director of Advocacy Programs. In this role, she will provide leadership over CHIME’s government affairs activities.


Prior to joining CHIME, she served as Director for Corporate Relations and the EHR Vendors Association for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Other recent government relations experience includes senior positions with the eHealth Initiative and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA). As a senior lobbyist and health policy expert, she has extensive experience in lobbying federal and state government affairs, health policy and health information technology.

Before her work with PCMA, Ms. Canner lobbied for the National Association of Manufacturers for 17 years, overseeing policy and issues including healthcare, Medicare and Social Security reform and human resources policy. Ms. Canner has also been active as a consultant, including a project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop partnerships with the business community to improve health coverage and quality; planning assistance to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan of Florida regarding strategic use of PBM services; and work with the Georgetown University Institute for Health Care Research and Policy to survey state health policymakers. Her educational background includes a Post-Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from George Washington University and an MA and BA from Northeastern University.

“We are pleased and excited to have Sharon join CHIME,” said CHIME President and CEO Rich Correll. “She will bring extensive knowledge and experience to CHIME’s advocacy efforts as we work to make the voice of the healthcare CIO heard in Washington.”


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 over 1,200 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 55 providers of healthcare IS products and services. To learn more about CHIME and the CHIME Foundation, see www.cio-chime.org.

Contact:

Anne Wizauer
Director of Communications
CHIME
(734)665-0000
awizauer@cio-chime.org
www.cio-chime.org

UPDATED: 5/8/2008 3:59:00 PM