Open-Wheels Staff
October 14, 2019 | 1:05 PM
With 34 days left until the green flag drops on the inaugural Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race presented by Mitchell Transmissions, the staff of Open-Wheels would like to announce a very special partner for this year’s event.
Joining the established portfolio of supporters for this November’s race is the University of Southern Indiana’s emerging Health Informatics and Information Management program.
“Making today’s announcement has been a highly-anticipated moment for me, both personally and professionally,” said Tanner Watkins, the owner/editor of Open-Wheels and the president of the Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race. Watkins also serves as the administrative assistant for the USI Health Informatics and Information Management program.
“To team up with Dr. Gabriela Mustata Wilson in support of our inaugural race next month is an exciting venture, and just as we embarked on starting a new program back in 2017, this race is looking to hit the ground running with the same enthusiasm and energy.”
Founded in 2017, the mission of the Health Informatics and Information Management Program is to provide students with specialized training in using information technology to support effective health care administration, innovative health care services delivery, secure patient-centric health care, leadership skills, quality assurance, finance, and legal and regulatory requirements.
Developed in response to the changes and demands of the healthcare industry, the Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management (BSHIIM) is designed for a wide range of students including those who have just graduated from high school or adult learners who want to return to school and complete their bachelor’s degree.
“The Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race is not just a motorsports competition – it is an opportunity to learn from and compete against online “sim racers” from all around the world,” notes department chair Dr. Gabriela Mustata Wilson. “Interestingly, this is similar to the Health Information Technology (Health IT) adoption experienced by health care organizations in the past few years. Some are right at the starting gate, while others are close to the finish line.
“The Health Informatics and Information Management Program at the University of Southern Indiana decided to be a sponsor of the Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race because we believe that a successful career in this field requires a motivated driver (the student), a high-level race car (education), a team (faculty and staff), a plan to achieve it, and the resilience to stay the course. With all of these in place, we can RACE-IT to better health care!”
By studying health informatics and information management, students can acquire a versatile yet focused skill set incorporating clinical, information technology, leadership, and management skills. Because of this unique blend, BSHIIM graduates are able to choose from a variety of work settings across an array of healthcare environments.
Individuals interested in learning more about the USI Health Informatics and Information Management program can contact Tanner Watkins via e-mail while also visiting the department’s official web page here.
The 2019 Open-Wheels.com 500 Mile Race presented by Mitchell Transmissions will drop the green flag Sunday, November 17 at 11:45 AM ET – live on RaceSpot TV. Parties interested in becoming sponsors of the event can visit this web page to see the list of remaining opportunities.
