Fellowship Program Recognizes HI Professionals’ Contributions to the Industry

Gregory Davis has a long list of experience in health information: adjunct professor of health information (HI) management, clinical documentation integrity (CDI) specialist, healthcare risk and compliance manager, and manager of coding and CDI, to name just a few.

In December 2025, he added another title to his accomplishments: AHIMA fellow.

He’s now among 240 HI professionals in the AHIMA fellowship program that recognizes AHIMA members who have made significant and sustained contributions to the profession. On October 5, he will take part in A Conversation with AHIMA Fellows panel discussion during AHIMA26 in San Antonio. Davis and other fellows will talk about their career paths, what they’ve learned, and how they’ve grown in the profession.

“The fellowship is about showing you’ve been there, you’ve put in the hours and time, and now you’re ready to help others,” says Davis, MHIIM, RN, NI-BC, CHC, RHIA, CCS, CPC, CDIP, CCDS, CCDS-O, CRCR, CSPR, CAHIMS, AI Governance, FAHIMA, who is Director of Clinical Documentation Integrity at Catholic Health. “When you see someone who’s a fellow of AHIMA, that’s someone that you can talk to and they can give you great pointers.”

In the spring, Davis participated in A Conversation with AHIMA Fellows, a regular online event in which fellows share information on career pathways, professional development opportunities, career insights, and resources.

“The fellowship program recognizes your accomplishments in health information management. But it’s also saying, I’m here to mentor others,” says Davis, who is president of the Mississippi Health Information Management Association.

What Fellowships Mean

Fellows exemplify AHIMA’s mission to “empower people to impact health” through their innovation, advocacy, and knowledge sharing.

The purpose of the fellowship program is to:

• Recognize significant and sustained commitment to the advancement of HI through meritorious service, excellence in professional practice, excellence in HI education, and advancement of the profession through innovation and knowledge sharing.
• Provide an incentive for dedicated members to contribute to the advancement of the profession.
• Bring together senior HI professionals as an organizational resource for continued promotion and development of the profession through a variety of activities.

“It's recognition, but it's also helping to promote the standards of health information,” says Linda Williams, MHA, RHIA, FAHIMA, Record Processing Section Head in the Health Information Management Division at the National Institutes of Health.

Williams became a fellow last year and will be recognized at AHIMA26. She encourages others to consider the fellowship program.

“People really need to take pride in what they've accomplished and what they're doing to promote the profession,” she says.

How Do You Become an AHIMA Fellow?

The fellowship program is open to professional members of AHIMA who meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Minimum of 10 cumulative years full-time professional experience in HI or related field
• Minimum of 10 years continuous AHIMA membership at time of application (not including years as a student member)
• Minimum of master's degree
• AHIMA credential designation in good standing
• Evidence of sustained and substantial professional achievement that demonstrates professional growth and use of innovative and creative solutions
• Minimum of 100 points, maximum 250-point requirement met

The fellowship program has two designations: fellowship and candidacy for fellowship. Once conferred, the fellow status is a lifetime recognition, subject to continuing AHIMA membership and compliance with the AHIMA Code of Ethics. HI professionals who earn fellowship may use the designation “Fellow of the American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA).” Applications can be submitted online, and the next deadline for applications is November 4.

Darice Grzybowski, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA, was part of a group that provided feedback on developing the fellows program. They noticed a need to recognize people in the profession with a designation that reflected a well-rounded professional engaged in lifelong, continuous learning. She nominated people to become fellows, and became a fellow in 2002.

“This designation became like a credential that wouldn't be retired, or eliminated, or dropped if you didn't get a certain number of CEUs. It was based on achievement,” says Grzybowski, Founder and President of H.I. Mentors. “The special part of it is you’re part of this distinguished group of people that has risen above and beyond the normal practitioner.”

Like Davis and other fellows, she also sees being a fellow as a way to help others.

“The fellowship is an extension of mentoring and represents you've achieved a certain point of continuous learning,” says Grzybowski, who participated in the Conversation with Fellows event in July. “A core to our profession is passing on learning.”

A few years ago, a friend asked Seth Johnson if he had looked into joining the fellowship program.

“I didn't realize that I had already met all of the requirements, so I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to apply because AHIMA is my home and health information is my profession,’ "says Johnson, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, who is Industry Consultant for Global Healthcare Strategy at Xerox. 

Johnson was granted a fellowship in 2020, spread the word about the program to others, and took part in the July Conversation with Fellows. Being a fellow gives him the opportunity to form bonds with other HI leaders and create new bonds with students and emerging professionals.

“You're able to give back to those students that are coming into the profession and those younger professionals who are trying to navigate the profession,” he says.

Damon Adams is content production editor for AHIMA.