Meet the Changemakers: Jody Toser

HIMSS serves the global health information and technology communities with focused operations across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Our members include more than 80,000 individuals, 480 provider organizations, 470 non-profit partners and 650 health services organizations. The HIMSS staff is made up of changemakers who collaborate with members to reform the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology.

Jody Toser is Director of Membership at HIMSS.

How long have you been at HIMSS?

I joined HIMSS’s Personal Connected Health Alliance team 3.5 years ago, though I have been fortunate to cross paths with HIMSS many times throughout my career as a telecom and association professional.

How do you support our mission statement?

I direct worldwide member engagement around telehealth and remote patient monitoring in support of reforming the global health ecosystem. Realizing the full health potential of every human, everywhere, drives my work in accelerating technical, business and social strategies necessary to advance personal connected health. HIMSS’s mission energizes our commitment to improving health behaviors and chronic disease management via remote monitoring health and wellness technologies.

How do you know your work at HIMSS makes a difference?

The year 2020 has thrust to the forefront connected care and monitoring of patients outside of the traditional clinical setting. This very quickly became an imperative. Our contributions in preparing for this time, and acting fast in the heat of the moment, have been significant especially in the areas of US telehealth legislation. I’m proud about coalescing our stakeholders in the relentless drive toward connected health and wellness technology availability, affordability, free flow of data and patient facing innovation.

What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about the work you do at HIMSS?

Making a paradigm shift in healthcare points-of-delivery is arduous. Aligning the incentives for all players in the ecosystem and doing what’s best for patient outcomes requires commitment, collaboration and investment from all corners. Fortunately, providing broader awareness and opportunities to affect change makes the effort worth it.

Which of the HIMSS values has made the greatest impact on how you approach your work? 

The HIMSS value of Belonging is central to my personal sense of responsibility with my coworkers and our members. As a strong believer in the importance of engaging through associations, I prioritize inclusion, respect and connection. This manifests in my professional passion to go the extra mile to really listen, represent diverse needs and to support colleagues and to help members find a perfect fit within the organization.