2021 Technology Professional of the Year: Heather Walker

Technology Professional of the Year

Heather Walker

Atrium Health Navicent
Market Chief Information Officer

Heather Walker became the first female chief information officer for Atrium Health Navicent in July 2020 in the middle of a pandemic that required her to help medical workers handle the technological challenges of COVID-19. Her hard work has resulted in her being named NonProfit PRO’s Technology Professional of the Year.

In addition to dealing with the challenges of the pandemic, Atrium Health Navicent is in the process of integrating systems due to a 2019 merger between Navicent Health and Atrium Health. Walker also managed major enterprise resource planning (ERP) and electronic health record (EHR) programs that went live in July. Her implementation of the EHR seamlessly integrated several disparate systems, including registration, scheduling and patient portals into a single platform.

Walker also had to pivot to react to new needs during the pandemic. She addressed remote working and telehealth needs, which resulted in the creation of a telehealth platform, a “virtual hospital” and reducing contact among staff and patients. She also created systems to support government-mandated compliance for COVID-19 case reporting; COVID-19 lab work; and COVID-19 vaccine registration and tracking for both staff and patients. These systems even pointed out disparities among local communities to allow the organization to improve outreach. She even spearheaded an innovative communications system that sent wellness updates to patients’ families who were unable to visit due to safety protocols.