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Chief Medical Information Officer | Indiana University Health
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics | Indiana University School of Medicine
Major company achievements: Dr. Emily Webber works with technology that connects IU Health team members to the patients and communities they serve. Throughout the pandemic, Riley Children’s Health served as a resource for the Indiana pediatric medical community. In collaboration with the Indiana Department of Health, it established 24/7 direct Doc2Doc support for care teams around the state who were treating children with respiratory illnesses. In collaboration with IU Health’s Office of Health Equity Research and Engagement, her team implemented technology to manage patients’ hypertension by connecting them to care teams via cellphone software. And this year, she helped lead work with researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine to implement a text message service to support a new way to reach and support patients contributing to the Indiana Biobank, which is part of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and provides biologic specimens and omics data for research.
“This work represents an important step in modernizing the way we connect with patients to find better ways to treat and prevent diseases, Webber said. “We can use artificial intelligence and other technologies to identify patients that are good candidates and have built a pathway to communicate on the patient’s time.”
Challenge faced: Preparing to manage a technology disruption that leads to a “dreaded downtime.” “It’s about being prepared and ready to protect our patients and care processes. If you work in the technology sector, you understand the immense effort it takes behind the scenes to effectively support the people and teams you’re working alongside.”
First computer: An Apple IIe, which she used for playing Oregon Trail, crafting art using BASIC and, at age 12, running her small business creating banners and stationery.
The road: Webber studied biology and literature in college, then fell in love with taking care of pediatric patients in medical school. When she started her residency training in California, she became interested in technology. In the early 2000s, her pediatrics residency was at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and she was an early adopter of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society with full electronic medical record systems in place. “Suddenly, I was hooked on learning how technology shaped my clinical life.” She joined Riley Children’s Health in 2008 and entered a leadership role at IU Health in 2015.
Go-to website: Bookshop.org, “a great website that connects you to local bookstores and has excellent curated lists.”•
Check out more Tech Exec of the Year honorees.
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