HIMSS Europe announces Women in Health IT Community

HIMSS

HIMSS Europe is launching a dedicated Women in Health IT Community with the goal to give women a platform to share experiences and enable them to work together to close gender gaps.

The announcement follows research in the US that showed that in 2006, the average female IT worker made 81 percent of the average male IT salary and now that gap has widened to the point where women are paid only 78 percent for doing the same jobs, according to the HIMSS Longitudinal Gender Compensation Assessment. For-profit providers showed the greatest salaries disparities, paying women IT professionals just 67 percent of what paid men to do the same work. Four factors are attributable to inequality: tenure in their current position, level of managerial responsibility, type of healthcare organization and organizational tax status.

The official launch of the Women in Health IT Community at a European level will take place during the forthcoming World of Health IT congress (WoHIT) in Barcelona on 21st and 22nd of November. Promoting the role of women IT professionals will not only have a positive impact in the sector as a whole but will encourage IT female students to pursue their dreams.

“Currently, gender imbalance is a limiting factor to the social impact of digital health technology. We can bring change tapping into an astonishing pool of young talent ready to make a difference,” Catherine Chronaki, Secretary General at HL7 Foundation and member of the Women in Health IT community, said in a statement. “The Women in Health IT community can be pivotal in integrating different perspectives and alleviating gender bias.”

HIMSS Europe is conducting a short survey to determine what challenges women in healthcare IT face and what opportunities they have leveraged along their career path. The results of the survey will be presented during the World of Health IT congress in Barcelona.

Additionally, during next year’s eHealth Week, to be held in Malta in May 2017, HIMSS will present the Most Influential Women in Health IT Awards which will recognize influential women at all stages of their career progressions.