James Turnbull Named CHIME-HIMSS 2012 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year

James Turnbull, FHIMSS, has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year Award. Turnbull is Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the University of Utah Health Care (UUHC), the intermountain west’s largest academic healthcare system, located in Salt Lake City. He will receive the award at the 2013 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans on March 5, 2013.

The award, sponsored by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and HIMSS, recognizes HIT executives who have made significant contributions to their organization and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. The boards of directors for both organizations annually select the recipient of the award, which is named in honor of the late John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical information system in the world at California's El Camino Hospital in the 1960s.

“John Gall would no doubt be impressed with the great work that is being done by today’s CIOs, in partnership with their staff and vendor partners, to address the healthcare challenges of our nation,” said Turnbull.  “While just one person has the humbling experience of accepting this award, it is truly a tribute to the commitment and dedication of all who are leveraging technology and process change to drive out costs, support research, and improve outcomes for our patients and communities.”

Turnbull’s distinguished career in the healthcare industry spans more than 37 years, split between the Canadian and American health systems. His accomplishments include the deployment of EMRs and installation of CPOE at three different health systems with three different vendor products.

Prior to joining UUHC in 2008, he served as senior vice president and CIO at The Children’s Hospital in Denver from 2000-2007, and senior vice president and CIO at Sarasota Memorial Hospital from 1993-2000.

“Over the past three decades it has been amazing to watch the transition from paper to a digital world in the healthcare industry,” said Turnbull. “Today, it is equally exciting to see information management take center stage as we reshape our industry in response to consumer expectations, clinical innovation and health reform.”

Under Turnbull’s leadership, both UUHC and The Children’s Hospital in Denver received Most Wired honors by Health Forum and H&HN magazine. Children’s was also recognized for its advancement of EMRs by KLAS as the Most Integrated Children’s Hospital in 2007. Additionally, Turnbull is the 1996 and 1998 recipient of Computerworld magazine’s Smithsonian Award.

Turnbull is a former chair of the CHIME Board of Trustees and a fellow and former president of HIMSS. He is a lifetime honorary member of HIMSS and has been a CHIME member since 1993. His academic background includes a BA in Organizational Psychology, an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, and a DHA from the Medical University of South Carolina.

“It is always an honor for HIMSS to recognize one of our members who has provided his leadership and expertise to the Society and the healthcare industry. Jim Turnbull fits this description. He served as the HIMSS Board Chair in 1988, with new members from information systems and telecommunications, and more than a 50% growth in exhibitors at the annual conference that year. Congratulations to Jim for his ongoing contributions to improve healthcare delivery with the best use of health IT and management systems,” said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS president/CEO.     

“As the industry’s highest honor, no one is more deserving of this award than Jim. His long-standing career as a healthcare CIO is both exemplary and distinguished, and his record of progressive IT utilization will be valued far into the future,” said CHIME president and CEO Richard Correll. “Following his service as chair of HIMSS, he went on to lead CHIME, providing superior leadership at a time when the organization was moving through stages of rapid growth. Jim’s personable, thoughtful style, combined with his commitment to supporting the effectiveness of HIT, characterizes what a great CIO he is. I am delighted that we are recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field with this prestigious award."

Source: College of Healthcare Information Management Executives