HMI Spotlight

This week we welcomed our newest group of students to the HMI program at Kennesaw State University, and it already feels like a great start.

Cohort 11 is a mix of working professionals and early-career folks, all coming in with different backgrounds but the same goal: to grow in healthcare management and informatics and do meaningful work in a field that never stops changing.

Thank you to the faculty that were in attendance to meet this eager group of students! And thank you to Nikki Palamiotis, MPH for taking time out of your day to come and speak to our students.

Over the next couple of years, they’ll dig into real healthcare data and systems, work on projects with our industry partners, and build relationships with classmates and professionals that will stay with them long after graduation.

We’re glad you’re here, Cohort 11. Let’s get to work!

Our HMI team had a great time attending the Georgia Technology Summit this year.

We were proud to represent the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics program at Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business, where we had the opportunity to present our program and connect with industry partners across Georgia.

This event created meaningful conversations with organizations and leaders who are shaping the future of technology. More importantly, it helped us strengthen relationships that directly support our students.

Our focus remains clear. We are committed to building strong industry connections that create real outcomes for our students.

Looking forward to continuing these conversations and expanding our partnerships.

We are very proud to share that Lawrence Ignatius Kumah, MBA, PMP®, CSSGB has been recognized as the 2026 Most Outstanding Student in the M.S. in Healthcare Management and Informatics program at Kennesaw State University. This recognition reflects his dedication and the meaningful impact he has made throughout the program.

We are also excited to see him take the next step as he begins a fully funded PhD in Health Services Organization and Research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Congratulations, Lawrence. We are proud to have you as part of HMI.

Our program had the privilege of hosting the first ever HMI Hackathon at Kennesaw State University, bringing together talented graduate and undergraduate students from across Georgia to tackle real-world challenges in healthcare innovation.

Students from across Georgia came together for the HMI Hackathon - spending 48 hours collaborating, building, and pitching ideas designed to tackle real challenges in healthcare.

Teams explored everything from improving patient experiences to using technology to support smarter healthcare operations. But what stood out most wasn’t just the technology - it was the creativity, teamwork, and determination students brought to the table.

Watching students from different universities and disciplines come together to problem-solve, learn from one another, and present their ideas to industry judges was a great reminder of how much potential exists in the next generation of healthcare leaders.

A huge thank you to the judges, mentors, and partners who helped make the event possible and gave their time to support the students throughout the weekend. Shawn Little Sepideh (Sepi) Browning FHIMSS, FACHE, CHCIO, PMP, eFACHDM, CHISL Christopher Kunney, FHIMSS, eFACHDM, MSMOT Drew Pearson

Thank you again to the honorary consul of Zambia, Dr. Anna Katema, for stopping by and offering words of encouragement to our students.

To our event sponsors, thank you so much for contribution in making this amazing event happen! Tokio Marine Group XR DOJO Arnall Golden Gregory LLP Classy Clay's Catering and The Local Doe Coffee House.

And to the students who participated - your ideas, energy, and willingness to tackle complex problems made this event something special.

We’re excited to share the launch of HMI Connect, a new group created exclusively for students and alumni of the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics (HMI) program.

As our network continues to expand, HMI Connect will serve as a hub for professional engagement, a place to connect across cohorts, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities in healthcare leadership and informatics.

If you’re an HMI student or graduate, we invite you to join and help shape this vibrant community! Together, we can celebrate accomplishments, share insights, and strengthen the connections that make our program so special.

Join HMI Connect today

We had an incredible experience representing Kennesaw State University’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics (HMI) program at the 2025 HIMSS Georgia Chapter Annual Conference!

Our HMI team hosted an information table, providing an opportunity to engage with healthcare leaders and technology innovators from across Georgia. The event was an amazing platform for collaboration, networking, and sharing ideas that are shaping the future of healthcare and informatics.

A huge thank-you to the HIMSS Georgia Chapter organizers for a well-executed and inspiring conference.

We connected with several new partners and look forward to building on these relationships to bring even more real-world opportunities to our students and community.

The HMI team had the pleasure of visiting Portal Innovations in Atlanta, where we were hosted by Edward Lai, MPH.

The visit was incredibly informative and engaging, highlighting the exciting work happening at Portal Innovations to advance innovation and support healthcare ventures across the region.

We are grateful to Eddie for welcoming us and sharing valuable insights. Excited about the potential collaborations between KSU’s Healthcare Management & Informatics program and Portal Innovations!

Huge thank you to Monica Agate and Sharea M. Finn, CRCR for joining us last Friday to speak with our students about the Georgia Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Associate (HFMA)! Your insights and real-world experience gave our future healthcare leaders a ton to think about and learn from.

We’re so grateful for your time and for helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the healthcare industry.

The HMI program had the honor and privilege of attending the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s event on “Advancing Health & Life Sciences in Georgia". It was a great opportunity to meet leaders from different organizations who are working to improve health and innovation in Georgia.

An absolute HUGE congratulations to Dr. Fortune E. Onwuzuruike for becoming one of the inaugural 40 Owls Under 40! This honor celebrates KSU and Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) alumni who are under 40 and making bold strides in their professions and their communities since graduation.

Fortune is among honorees that were selected through a competitive nomination process, with candidates evaluated on their professional achievements, community involvement, and commitment to the University. It is an honor to have Dr. Fortune represent HMI in this inaugural class full of amazing KSU alums!

A quick shoutout to the hard work Sweta Sneha, PhD has put in through the years to make this program a place where alumni like Dr. Fortune can grow, learn, shine, and excel. And thank you to Millena Da Silva and Tonya Clark, MBA for their work in supporting the program as well.

On November 19th, we had the pleasure of co-sponsoring this year's TAG Digital Health Signature Event: TACKLING HEALTH DISPARITIES EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN, CHILDREN AND RURAL POPULATIONS. The topics discussed at this event are so important to this community, and we appreciate every individual who spoke at this event. Our students took away so much from your expertise.

A huge thank you to everybody involved in making this happen, and thank you to Sweta Sneha PhD for always providing these opportunities to our students. And thank you to Millena Da Silva and Tonya Clark, MBA for helping extend these professional development opportunities.

We had the privilege of celebrating two HMI alums get honored at this year's Five in Flight, hosted by Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business. Both Faisal Saleem and Brandie Szuda were awarded the GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award! They are exemplary representations of our program, and we could not be prouder of them! Congratulations, and keep moving the needle and being a force for good in the Digital Health care space!

In their speeches, both Faisal and Brandie attributed their success to the support system around them, in no small part played by Sweta Sneha PhD, who's dedication to HMI is a testament to our students' success both academically and professionally. A huge thank you can also be given to our staff, Millena Da Silva and Tonya Clark, MBA for all of their hard work in supporting our students!

The Titan 100 is a national program that recognizes the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives in a region. Representing both the private and public sector, these Titans of industry demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision, passion, and influence in their field.  The Titan 100 are recognized at an annual awards event, published in the Titan 100 book, and given the opportunity to build relationships with their fellow Titans by connecting multiple times throughout the year.  Titans must be nominated and selected annually with the pinnacle achievement of being recognized as an elite Hall of Fame honoree in their third year.  The Titan 100 is one of the fastest-growing, most powerful communities of executives across the nation.

Kennesaw State University Professor Sweta Sneha was named the 2022 Woman of the Year in STEAM Education by Women in Technology, recognizing her success in positioning Georgia as a leader in the healthcare information technology space.

Sneha the executive director of the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics program at the Michael J. Coles College of Business, is Kennesaw State’s first-ever recipient of WIT’s prestigious Woman of the Year award. She accepted the award at a ceremony held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“This was a major validation of the work we’ve been doing for years in the M MSHMI program,” Sneha said. “It also speaks to how we are impacting the footprint of Georgia’s healthcare informatics sector and how much the industry values the work that we do.”

Started in 1992, Women in Technology is dedicated to encouraging women and girls in Georgia to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The Woman of the Year award recognizes Georgia women in ten categories who are technology leaders working to enhance gender parity in technology and making a difference in their communities.

As the winner of the STEAM Education category, Sneha was recognized for being the driving force behind Kennesaw State’s innovative MSHMI program. Launched in Fall 2016 to enhance Georgia’s competitiveness in the healthcare IT sector, the program combines leadership and management training with skills development in information technology, computing, data analytics, and healthcare delivery processes.

The MSHMI program has graduated 150 students in six cohorts, with students coming from a variety of diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Women and men are equally represented, which Sneha says is rare for a technology program.

“Many women have used the program to go from being bedside nurses to managing healthcare populations,” she said. “I wanted to create a platform where women and girls come in with potential and are nurtured enough to become successful.”

Creating opportunities for women has been rewarding for Sneha who said she confronted a lack of female representation in STEAM her entire career, first as a student and later as an IT consultant.

Sneha’s lead role in the MSHMI program has allowed her to make a lasting impression on Georgia’s healthcare technology sector. She sits on the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Biosciences Leadership Council and is a board member with the Technology Association of Georgia. She also partners with key industry players who sit on the MSHMI advisory board, work with students on research projects, and serve as mentors.

-Patrick Harbin

A huge thank you to LeeAnna Spiva and Susan Thurman of WellStar, and to Monica Agate, Michelle Whithead, and Matt Fisher of Georgia Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) for coming out on September 20th, 2024 and speaking to our students on their respective organizations. Cultivating industry partnerships is a vital part of the HMI program, and we greatly appreciate our partners taking the time to share their insights with our students!

A huge congratulations to Dabnei LeBlanc, PMP, RT(R)(T) for being awarded the Outstanding Student Award for MSHMI! Dabnei was recognized for her outstanding performance in our program and dedication to health informatics. We are so proud of you, Dabnei!

Thank you to our HMI students who attended the TAG: Enhancing The Patient Experience With Technology event at Elevance Health, hosted by TAG Digital Health. It was such a valuable experience hearing the speakers discuss how we can enhance patient outcomes with emerging technologies. We cannot wait to see the impact our students will have in digital health!