Faculty Spotlight: Lori Brooks, HCIS Department Chair and Associate Professor

What excites you most about Health IT?

Healthcare IT is a fast-growing industry … one that is considered the ‘place to be’.   It is ever-changing, requires constant education and, best of all, it is changing healthcare for the better.

What are employers looking for when hiring for this field?

Problem solvers, quick learners, active listeners, and those with a balance of technical skills, the oh-so-important soft skills and an understanding of healthcare processes.

What are the two most important skills a candidate can have?

Interpersonal skills that allow you to interact effectively with others and being an engaged problem solver  in an ever-changing environment.

What trends do you see or anticipate?

Unlike some speculation, I believe AI technologies will enhance and not replace human efforts in healthcare.  I also see the continuous push for patient-centered care meaning more personal access to care.  With personal access comes an even larger acceptance of telehealth and the technologies that deliver care on a 24/7 basis.

Why do you like teaching Health IT?

Our country has invested billions of dollars into healthcare to achieve better patient outcomes and improve the quality of care.  Because technology plays such a vital role in healthcare, healthcare IT looks to be a key tool in realizing these goals.   Thus, the field continues to grow and change … making it ‘the place to be’.

After 9 years in secondary education, Lori Brooks entered the field of healthcare information systems as the Clinical Content Manager for Pulse Systems, Inc. where she focused on clinical documentation design while concurrently managing multiple clinical content implementations. Lori went on to work as the EHR Specialist for College Park Family Care Center, a large multi-specialty practice, where she was responsible for developing, supporting and maintaining all clinical aspects of the company’s EHR system. Most recently, she is a Professor and Department Chair at Johnson County Community College in the Health Information Systems department where she trains students for career advancement in the Healthcare IT field. 

Lori earned her CPHIMS certification in 2016 and is recognized as a Senior Member of HIMSS (SHIMSS) for her service, professional participation, job experience, publications and presentations in the field of Health IT.