Faculty Spotlight: Liz Zampino, Health Informatics program

Liz Zampino is an adjunct faculty member at UNE Online in the Health Informatics program and is long-time professional in the world of health informatics, focusing on mobile health application design and adoption.

Recently we spoke with Liz about her background as a Health Informatics professional, and her experience at UNE Online.

Can you tell me a little about your background and how you got into the field of health informatics?

I have a background in IT, and so it was a natural progression for me to go into clinical informatics. I was inspired to change my career path In 2004 when I was hospitalized for a few months due to a rare chronic disease. My time in the hospital gave me the opportunity to observe practicing clinicians firsthand, and up close. Over time, I couldn’t help but realize how clinicians would be able to provide care more efficiently and effectively with the addition of information technology.

That got my wheels spinning.

After my stint in the hospital, I started working closely with clinicians in the rehab medicine field. As I recalled my time as an inpatient, I started thinking about how we could go about marrying IT and clinical informatics to improve care for our patients. During this time I was also in grad school, working toward my Master’s in Clinical Informatics and Patient-Centered Technologies.

Shortly after earning my Master’s I transitioned to a job working at a mobile health startup, where I took on many roles – as you do in an entrepreneurial atmosphere. I helped integrate our platform into the clinical workflow and helped others realize how our platform could enable patient engagement for those clinicians so the patients could keep on track with their care plans.

I’ve found that at the root of it, my work is really about connection.

Words of wisdom for someone getting into the field of Health Informatics?

Network, network, network, network! And then network some more. You also need to find a mentor. Persistence is key. You have to ping people, email them, get on LinkedIn and send them messages. All you need is a couple of paragraphs about yourself. Like an elevator speech – a little bit about why you went into the field and what your degree is, and make it personal. If you reach out to people, they will respond.

And the more you network, and the more you talk with individuals, the more you are able to articulate your speech and the better you can get your point across. Practice. It’s the initial getting out there and doing it can be a little bit intimidating. But by going to industry events – both local meetups and national conferences – you can make a lot of connections.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in Health Informatics, or if you’re simply interested in discussing the program, please reach out to an Enrollment Counselor at (855) 751-4445 or via email at informatics@une.edu.

Or, fill out an online application today at online.une.edu/gateway-portal-page – we look forward to hearing from you!

More Health Informatics program information: go.une.edu/health-informatics