HIMSS Foundation
Empowering future leaders to drive positive change.
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Supporting the next generation
Since 1996, The HIMSS Foundation has empowered the next generation of leaders, equipping them with educational and professional opportunities to drive positive change within the health tech ecosystem. Through $260,000+ in scholarships, two diversity-focused educational programs, grants, internships and externships, we’ve provided educational and professional opportunities to students pursuing their education in digital health, information and management systems.
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Our initiatives
Scholarships
We’re all about celebrating excellence in our student community. The HIMSS foundation offers scholarships that serve as stepping stones for future health information and technology leaders. These awards aren’t just about money — they’re about opening doors. Recipients receive financial awards and complimentary access to the HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition (restrictions may apply). View previous recipients and meet our 2025 recipients.
The HIMSS Foundation Scholarship Application is now closed. Please watch for the 2027 scholarship application opening in August 2026. For more information, email us.
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HIMSS Foundation undergraduate/graduate candidate scholarships
The HIMSS Foundation awards two $5,000 scholarships annually to one undergraduate and one graduate student — undergraduate applicants must be at least first-term juniors. The application requires a resume or CV and one letter of recommendation (not from Selection Committee judges). Applicants must be current HIMSS Student Members in good standing, enrolled in accredited programs related to health information technology or healthcare management systems.
Applicants cannot be currently employed by HIMSS, engaged in a consulting contract with any component of HIMSS, or serving on HIMSS Board of Directors or any HIMSS Advisory Boards. Scholarship judges and previous HIMSS Foundation Scholarship recipients are also exempt.
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HIMSS chapter-specific scholarships
Many HIMSS chapters provide scholarships for HIMSS Student Members — contact your local chapter for availability and eligibility. Find your local chapter contact information here.
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Richard P. Covert, PhD, LFHIMSS Scholarship for Management Systems
This scholarship will not be offered at this time. We look forward to bringing this scholarship back as a career development opportunity during the 2026-2027 education year.
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Steve Lieber Innovator Scholarship
This scholarship will not be offered at this time. We look forward to bringing this scholarship back as a career development opportunity during the 2026-2027 education year.
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Internships
The HIMSS Foundation provides hands-on experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in areas like policy development, informatics and health association management to help advance their careers. Student applications are accepted on a rolling basis for the winter, summer and fall semesters.
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Public policy
The public policy internship program provides leadership and professional development experiences for undergraduate and graduate students interested in healthcare and public policy. Whether in the Washington D.C. office or remote, these internships offer unique opportunities to learn about federal and state governments and gain valuable work experience. For more information, email us.
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Grants
Through grant funding, the HIMSS Foundation provides opportunities for current and emerging professionals to diversify the digital health workforce.
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HIMSS Professional Certification Grant
The HIMSS Foundation and the HIMSS Global Health Equity Network have partnered to offer this grant to support underrepresented professionals, students, veterans, and their spouses in pursuit of health information and technology career advancement opportunities through the attainment of either the Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS®), the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS®), or the Certified Professional in Digital Health Transformation Strategy (CPDHTS®) certification.
The 2026 HIMSS Foundation Professional Certification Grant is currently underway. We plan to support another cohort in 2027. Watch for more information and the application period to open Fall 2026.
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Featured news
August 5, 2026
HIMSS Urges Congress to Advance MATCH IT Act to Address Patient Misidentification
The Patient Matching and Transparency in Certified Health IT (MATCH IT) Act of 2026 has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, marking an important step forward for efforts to improve patient matching, which HIMSS has long supported.
August 5, 2026
HIMSS26 APAC: Inside Singapore’s Healthcare Innovation
Singapore's public healthcare system will take center stage at the 2026 HIMSS APAC Health Conference & Exhibition, where attendees can get unprecedented access to one of the world's leading digitally enabled healthcare ecosystems through an exclusive showcase.
August 4, 2026
HIMSS to Host Digital Maturity Forum in Partnership with NHS Trust
HIMSS will bring together healthcare leaders, clinicians, policymakers and industry experts for the third edition of the HIMSS UK Digital Maturity Forum on 8 October, 2026, at Imperial College London. Held in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Health Beyond Hospitals is a high-profile one-day event focused on how health and care services can be redesigned to support underserved populations better.
July 20, 2026
CMS Proposes CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule: Accelerating Digital Health Transformation through MVPs, Interoperability, and AI
Through its Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (CMS-1848-P), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services continues to drive a transition to a digital, interoperable, and value-based care healthcare ecosystem. HIMSS has identified six critical areas of the proposed rule that will impact HIMSS members.
July 8, 2026
HIMSS Physician Committee Member Spotlight: Jake O’Shea, MD, MBA, FACEP
Dr. O’Shea has served in leadership roles at a variety of professional, nonprofit, and government organizations related to care delivery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a past president of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, and has previously served as Chair of the Virginia Emergency Department Care Coordination Advisory Council and as a member of the Virginia Governor’s EMS Advisory Board. His areas of interest include building systems that support clinicians, strengthening teams, and improving outcomes for patients and communities.
June 26, 2026
HIMSS Physician Committee Member Spotlight: Mara Schenker, MD, MBA
Dr. Mara Schenker is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and clinical informatics leader who operates at the intersection of high-acuity surgical care, health technology, and quality improvement. As Chief of Orthopaedics at Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest Level 1 trauma centers in the United States, she oversees strategic initiatives that integrate digital tools to support surgical performance, data transparency, and clinician workflow optimization. In her role as Chief Medical Information Officer, she leads enterprise efforts in AI governance and EHR advancement with a focus on physician experience, quality improvement, and clinical efficiency.
HIMSS Foundation news
August 5, 2026
HIMSS Urges Congress to Advance MATCH IT Act to Address Patient Misidentification
The Patient Matching and Transparency in Certified Health IT (MATCH IT) Act of 2026 has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, marking an important step forward for efforts to improve patient matching, which HIMSS has long supported.
August 5, 2026
HIMSS26 APAC: Inside Singapore’s Healthcare Innovation
Singapore's public healthcare system will take center stage at the 2026 HIMSS APAC Health Conference & Exhibition, where attendees can get unprecedented access to one of the world's leading digitally enabled healthcare ecosystems through an exclusive showcase.
August 4, 2026
HIMSS to Host Digital Maturity Forum in Partnership with NHS Trust
HIMSS will bring together healthcare leaders, clinicians, policymakers and industry experts for the third edition of the HIMSS UK Digital Maturity Forum on 8 October, 2026, at Imperial College London. Held in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Health Beyond Hospitals is a high-profile one-day event focused on how health and care services can be redesigned to support underserved populations better.
July 20, 2026
CMS Proposes CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule: Accelerating Digital Health Transformation through MVPs, Interoperability, and AI
Through its Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (CMS-1848-P), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services continues to drive a transition to a digital, interoperable, and value-based care healthcare ecosystem. HIMSS has identified six critical areas of the proposed rule that will impact HIMSS members.
July 8, 2026
HIMSS Physician Committee Member Spotlight: Jake O’Shea, MD, MBA, FACEP
Dr. O’Shea has served in leadership roles at a variety of professional, nonprofit, and government organizations related to care delivery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a past president of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, and has previously served as Chair of the Virginia Emergency Department Care Coordination Advisory Council and as a member of the Virginia Governor’s EMS Advisory Board. His areas of interest include building systems that support clinicians, strengthening teams, and improving outcomes for patients and communities.
June 26, 2026
HIMSS Physician Committee Member Spotlight: Mara Schenker, MD, MBA
Dr. Mara Schenker is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and clinical informatics leader who operates at the intersection of high-acuity surgical care, health technology, and quality improvement. As Chief of Orthopaedics at Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest Level 1 trauma centers in the United States, she oversees strategic initiatives that integrate digital tools to support surgical performance, data transparency, and clinician workflow optimization. In her role as Chief Medical Information Officer, she leads enterprise efforts in AI governance and EHR advancement with a focus on physician experience, quality improvement, and clinical efficiency.
June 24, 2026
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Reaches HIMSS EMRAM Stage 6 Validation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust has achieved Stage 6 validation under the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, becoming one of a select number of NHS organisations recognised for advanced digital maturity through the HIMSS benchmarked framework.
June 17, 2026
Germany's National Digital Maturity Assessment Shows Significant Progress in Digital Maturity
Germany's hospitals have made substantial gains in digital maturity over the past five years, according to the initial results of the third nationwide DigitalRadar assessment, one of the largest longitudinal hospital digital maturity programs worldwide. Developed by a consortium set up by HIMSS, the program uses an assessment framework based on the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model and related digital maturity methodologies.
June 16, 2026
HIMSS Asks for Realistic Implementation Timelines for CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization for Drugs Proposed Rule
In recently submitted public comments, HIMSS supported the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) goals for advancing electronic prior authorization (ePA) and interoperability while urging the agency to ensure the healthcare community is realistically prepared to meet new requirements.
June 8, 2026
HIMSS26 Europe Shapes Healthcare's Future Through Collaborative Innovation
Almost 2,000 professionals from more than 70 countries explored groundbreaking innovations, learned from global experts and made new connections at the 2026 HIMSS European Health Conference and Exhibition, hosted May 19-21 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
June 4, 2026
Leading Voices in AI Join HIMSS 2026 AI Advisory Group
HIMSS has announced the 2026 AI Advisory Group, a select group of healthcare leaders who will help shape and strengthen AI-focused education and the Future of AI in Healthcare series programming throughout the year. The AI Advisory Group will play a key role in ensuring HIMSS AI initiatives remain at the forefront of the evolving healthcare landscape.
May 29, 2026
HIMSS Nurses Month 2026 Member Spotlight: The Future of Nursing | Innovation and Vision
This week, we look ahead to the future of nursing and the evolving role of informatics in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. As digital health and AI continue to advance, nurses will play a critical role in shaping what comes next. Their vision, adaptability, and leadership will help define the future of care.
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Giving
Your tax-deductible donation makes it possible for the HIMSS Foundation to provide grants, internships and scholarships to help prepare and educate future health tech leaders. The HIMSS Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific or educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
2025 HIMSS Foundation scholarship recipients
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Masters scholarship recipient
Bessy Lovos Davila
George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA
Major: Health Informatics
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Undergraduate scholarship recipient
Etana Israel
University of Nevada-Las Vegas Henderson, NV
Major: Bachelors of Science in Healthcare Administration and Policy
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