Meet the Changemakers: Karla Shao

HIMSS serves the global health information and technology communities with focused operations across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Our members include more than 80,000 individuals, 480 provider organizations, 470 non-profit partners and 650 health services organizations. The HIMSS staff is made up of changemakers who collaborate with members to reform the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology.

Karla Shao is Specialty Education Manager at HIMSS.

How long have you been at HIMSS?

I started at HIMSS in January 2015.

How do you support our mission statement?

In my role, I work on Global Conference education, specifically the Views from the Top sessions. These sessions bring the leaders in a variety of industries together to give inspirational and strategic education showcasing amazing innovations in healthcare and technology.  

How do you know your work at HIMSS makes a difference?

When the COVID-19 crisis began, my husband was almost seamlessly able to transfer his clinic to telemedicine. The work we do at HIMSS has helped to make telemedicine more commonplace and accessible. The ability to move visits to telemedicine protects so many doctors and patients from exposure to the virus during this difficult time while still maintaining a high level of care.  It makes me very proud to be a part of this organization!

What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about the work you do at HIMSS?

The level of detail and planning that goes into each session, sometimes it feels like building a house of cards on a bumpy train. But the feeling I get when watching a session makes it all worth it!