CHIME, HIMSS name Utah's Turnbull CIO of the Year

James Turnbull, vice president and CIO of Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health Care, has been chosen as the John E. Gall CIO of the Year, an annual award sponsored jointly by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

The award, named for a pioneering leader in clinical information systems, recognizes excellence in leadership and organizational improvement through the use of health information technology.

Turnbull, who joined 476-bed University of Utah Health Care in 2008 as CIO, has worked in health IT for more 30 years, holding posts in both the U.S. and Canada. He previously served as senior vice president and CIO of 301-bed Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colo. Before that, he spent seven years as senior vice president and CIO of 628-bed Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital.

"Over the past three decades, it has been amazing to watch the transition from paper to a digital world in the healthcare industry," Turnbull said in a joint CHIME and HIMSS news release. "Today, it is equally exciting to see information management take center stage as we reshape our industry in response to consumer expectations, clinical innovation and health reform."

Turnbull is a former HIMSS president and former chair of CHIME's board of trustees. He will receive his award in New Orleans in March at HIMSS' annual conference.

Past winners include Rick Schooler, CIO and vice president of four-hospital Orlando (Fla.) Health and Charles Christian, CIO of 176-bed Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes, Ind.