Charles E. Christian, CIO of Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Ind. has been named CIO of the Year by CHIME and HIMSS.
The 2010 John E. Gall, Jr. Award, which Christian will receive at a ceremony Feb. 22 at the HIMSS11 Conference in Orlando, recognizes Christian for lifetime achievement.
"I'm very humbled to be mentioned with the industry leaders who have received the John E. Gall Award over the years," said Christian. "I've had the privilege of working with and learning from a large group of outstanding professionals."
The award recognizes healthcare IT executives who have made significant contributions to their organization and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. The award is named in honor of the late John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical information system in the world at California's El Camino Hospital in the 1960s.
Christian is now in his 22nd year as CIO at Good Samaritan and his 40th year in healthcare. In his CIO role, he is responsible for all information technology activities throughout the enterprise.
Christian is a Fellow of both CHIME and HIMSS and formerly served on the CHIME Board of Trustees and is a past chairman of the HIMSS Board of Directors. Christian is currently serving on the Indiana Health Informatics Corporation Board of Directors by appointment of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.
In 2010, he was presented with the CHIME Collaboration Award for his work with Kirby Partners, Inc. on the creation of Make IT Known: Marketing Strategies and Case Studies in the Healthcare Environment, a reference guide to help senior healthcare IT management promote their IT departments to help their hospitals thrive. Currently, he serves as a CHIME StateNet Coordinator for the state of Indiana and is the vice chair of the CHIME Policy Steering Committee.
Good Samaritan Hospital received the McKesson VIP Award in 2004; identified as a Solucient Top 100 Hospital – Quality Improvement Leader in 2005; listed as Most Wired (small and rural) in 2004 and 2005; a 2006 recipient of the VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence; and a 2008 recipient of the VHA Leadership Award in Supply Chain Management. Good Samaritan Hospital also received Magnet designation in 2009.
Tickets are still available for the HIMSS11 Awards banquet; visit HIMSS Awards Banquet for more information and to order tickets.
