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Microsoft in Health recognizes the importance of women in healthcare IT and is committed to promoting their diverse perspectives. The needs of care workers and the communities they serve are varied. To develop technology solutions to meet those needs, it’s necessary for the IT professionals brainstorming and developing solutions to be at least as diverse as the communities they serve. It is imperative that women be active participants in shaping the future of healthcare IT.


Top reads on women in health IT from Sarah Muckler, Worldwide Director, Health Partners


Recent posts by women leaders in health IT

women in healthcare itHow can we close the gaps in mental healthcare with technology part 1

Melissa D. Pinto, PhD, RN, FAAN | Assistant Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University

Melissa D. Pinto, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an Assistant Professor at Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Dr. Pinto is nationally recognized as a thought leader in the evolving role of technology in behavioral health and digital therapeutics. Her pioneering research involves an avatar-based program for mental health initiatives. Her work in this area advances traditional health care delivery paradigms. In 2013, Dr. Pinto was invited to present her avatar-based research at the White House Technology Innovations Conference on the Future of Behavioral Health IT panel. Additionally, she has addressed the North Carolina Governor’s Institute on Substance Abuse, alongside the director of SAMHSA, and appeared on SAMHSA’s Road to Recovery Television and Radio series because of her expertise in technology-based tools for whole-body wellness. Dr. Pinto is a consultant to The Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter Center Mental Health Program on initiatives related to child and adolescent mental health. She is passionate about improving the mental health of young people through the use of new technological approaches that fit their daily lives.

women in healthcare itFive steps to innovative, human-centered solutions for healthcare

Rhonda Malone Wyskiel RN, BSN | Patient Safety Innovation Coordinator, Armstrong Institute at Johns Hopkins

Rhonda Wyskiel is the Patient Safety Innovation Coordinator for the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at John Hopkins. Prior to this role, Wyskiel was a nurse clinician in the Weinberg Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and a senior research coordinator with the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Wyskiel’s 18 years of bedside nursing experience have been an integral and critical force in the development, implementation, and adoption of the comprehensive unit-based safety program (CUSP) to improve teamwork and safety culture at Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as nationally and internationally. Combining her clinical knowledge with applied research, she has successfully begun identifying innovative methods to involve patients and their families as integral members of the healthcare team and necessary participants in the treatment plan. Wyskiel continues to work on numerous quality improvement projects incorporating her expertise as a clinician and safety improvement professional to improve the design, development, and integration of clinical systems.

women in healthcare itUsing 2 in 1s for disruptive innovation at Front Porch

Joan Hankin, RN-C, MSN | Global Director of Marketing & Business Development- Healthcare Life Sciences, Intel Corporation

Over the past 13 years Joan Hankin has focused on healthcare technology. Currently Joan is the World Wide Healthcare Marketing Manager at Intel Corporation. Prior to joining Intel, she worked at such companies as HP, Sun Microsystems, and Web MD. ​​Before she focused on technology, Joan worked at both Stanford University and the University of California – San Francisco Medical Centers where she held clinical management and marketing positions. Joan obtained her BSN from SUNY Brockport in New York, her MSN from San Francisco State University, and her Family Nurse Practitioner certification from the University of California, Davis Medical School.

women in healthcare it5 unexpected prejudices faced by nurses

Melissa DeCapua, DNP, PMHNP | Healthcare Advisor, NursePoint & Product Strategist, MedBridge

Melissa DeCapua is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who graduated from Vanderbilt University. She has a background in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as psychosomatic medicine. Uniquely, she also possesses a bachelor’s degree in studio arts, which she uses to enhance patient care, promote the nursing profession, and solve complex problems. Melissa currently works as the Healthcare Strategist at a Seattle-based health information technology company where she guides product development by combining her clinical background and creative thinking. She is a strong advocate for empowering nurses, and she fiercely believes that nurses should play a pivotal role in shaping modern health care.

women in healthcare itAs health Internet of Things innovation accelerates, regulators try to keep up

Leslie Sistla | Director, Technology Strategy, Worldwide Health Industry, Microsoft

As the industry technology strategist for the WW Public Sector-Health, Leslie is responsible for guiding the evolution of a growing ecosystem of enterprise solutions. These solutions cross a wide range of integrated health management systems, cloud, device management, and service lifecycle management/delivery in collaboration with customers, partners, industry organizations, and Microsoft product groups.

More resources

Careers for women at Microsoft

Women in computing 

Microsoft in Health blog

Microsoft and Intel nurses blog