AHIMA Triumph Awards: Spotlight on Educator Award Recipient Amanda M. Walden, PhD, RHIA, CHDA

The AHIMA Triumph Awards are national awards designed to recognize people who have made a difference in the health information (HI) profession. The awards honor leaders in the HI field, reward contributions that build our knowledge base, recognize excellence in preparing future HI professionals, and encourage fresh talent and new leadership.

AHIMA bestowed four Triumph Awards this year: the Distinguished Member Award, the Influencer Award, the Educator Award, and the Student Award. The Journal of AHIMA caught up with each recipient or the people who nominated them to learn more about their careers.

Amanda M. Walden, PhD, RHIA, CHDA, serves as a full-time faculty member and program director of the Health Informatics and Information Management Program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. Amanda has served at all levels including leadership positions at the regional, state, and national levels, and is currently a member of the AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education.

Congratulations on your achievement! Can you share what this Triumph Award means to you?

I am very honored to have received the Triumph Educator Award this year. It means so much that my colleagues and students feel that strongly, and that AHIMA recognized the achievements of both myself and our program. Our students are amazing, and receiving this award reiterated the important role we as educators play in their lives.

How did you get your start in the world of health information?

I was lucky to see one of our health information management (HIM) faculty speak at freshman orientation in college and hear about this field, and it just clicked for me. Throughout my education, I worked in the field and my love for HIM just strengthened!

What inspired you to pursue being an educator?

While getting my education, I was able to experience working with students as a teaching assistant. I enjoyed this so much, I continued on as an adjunct professor after graduation. As a professional in the field, I really enjoyed learning about different aspects of HIM, staying current on trends, and speaking with others about our amazing profession. In one of my previous roles as a privacy officer, teaching new employees about HIPAA during orientation was my favorite part. These combined experiences inspired me to make the switch to teaching full-time.

Is there an aspect of teaching HI that you find particularly rewarding or exciting?

Opening students’ eyes to innovations in the field, as well as the areas of concern for patients and providers, is my favorite part. Just like my faculty members helped me have my “a-ha!” moment, it brings me so much joy to watch it happen for my students.

How long have you been an active member of AHIMA, and what difference has this community made in your career?

Since I was a student, which was a great opportunity! As a student member, I was able to network with employers and colleagues in the field. This helped me develop a layer of confidence before entering the workforce.

I cannot stress enough the importance of community and networking in a person’s career. Becoming more involved in AHIMA over the years has allowed me to create new connections, which only enhanced the content and delivery of my courses to students.

What do you find to be most enriching about being a member of the HI community?

As I said, the connections are so important. Entering the workforce for the first time, or even again as a second career, can be scary. But knowing you are a part of the HI community means you are not alone, and there is always someone you can reach out to for guidance. There are so many experts in our community who create this amazing knowledge base to tap into and learn from.

What do you consider to be the most exciting development currently happening in the HI field, or HI education?

The expansion. We are seeing the evolution of the HI field to include more, not just new areas of healthcare, but new technologies, new innovations, new policies, just so many opportunities.

How do you see the industry continuing to evolve over the next few years?

I see the expansion continuing. I wish I could see what the future holds, but we are changing at such a rapid pace that we won’t have to wait long to see what the next innovation is.

What would be your advice to young professionals interested in pursuing health information?

Get involved and get involved early; create your network and start learning about opportunities now. The health information field is so diverse, and there are so many areas to work in, take some time to learn about all of them and see what the best fit is, and what resources are available to you.