The Fellowship program is a program of earned recognition for AHIMA members who made significant and sustained contributions to the profession. Individuals who earn fellowship may use the designation Fellow of the American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA), and their names will be maintained in the AHIMA Registry of Fellows.
The purpose of the Fellowship program is to:
- Recognize significant and sustained contribution to advancement of the Health Information Management (HIM) discipline through meritorious service, excellence in professional practice, excellence in HIM education, and advancement of the profession through innovation and knowledge sharing.
- Provide an incentive for members to contribute to the advancement of the profession.
- Bring together senior HIM professionals as an organizational resource for continued promotion and development of the profession through a variety of activities.
The Fellowship program has two designations: Fellowship and Candidacy for Fellowship.
View the list of AHIMA Fellows
Fellowship Eligibility
Fellowship is open to any individual who is an Active, Premier, Honorary, Emeritus, or Global/Outside US (oUS) member of AHIMA, and who meets the following eligibility requirements:
- Minimum of 10 years full-time professional experience in HIM or related field.
- Minimum of 10 years continuous AHIMA membership at time of application (not including years as a student member).
- Minimum of master's degree.
- CCHIIM credential designation in good standing.
- Evidence of sustained and substantial professional achievement that demonstrates professional growth and use of innovative and creative solutions.
Once conferred, the fellow status is a lifetime recognition, subject to continuing AHIMA membership and compliance with the AHIMA Code of Ethics.
Candidacy for Fellowship Designation
Candidacy serves as a preparatory period for those individuals whose portfolio does not meet the criteria for fellowship but who want an opportunity to formalize lifelong learning and development plans. Admission to candidacy does not automatically result in the conferment of fellowship.
Candidacy is open to any individual who is an Active, Premier, Honorary, Emeritus, or Global/Outside US (oUS) member of AHIMA, and who meets the following eligibility requirements:
- Minimum of five years full-time professional experience in HIM or related field.
- Minimum of five years continuous AHIMA membership at time of application (not including years as a student member).
- Minimum of master's degree.
- CCHIIM credential designation in good standing.
- Beginning evidence toward significant contributions to the advancement of the HIM field.
The normal candidacy period is one to five years, depending upon individual background. A candidate can apply for fellowship status at any time. An individual may remain in candidacy status with one renewal period to extend candidacy to a total of five years.
Fellowship Application
Application and Review Process
The AHIMA Fellowship Committee meets quarterly. All applications must be submitted online (letters of recommendation may be uploaded into the online application in Word or PDF format). Applications will be reviewed and notifications sent within four weeks of the submission deadline.
2019 Submission Deadlines
- Friday, February 22, 2019
- Friday, May 24, 2019
- Friday, August 16, 2019
- Friday, November 15, 2019
2020 Submission Deadlines
- Friday, February 21, 2020
- Friday, May 22, 2020
- Friday, August 21, 2020
- Friday, November 13, 2020
Below are the steps for completing the Fellowship application:
Step 1
Fellowship Eligibility Tracking Tool
This is a tracking tool to assist you in determining your eligibility for candidacy or Fellowship status. Please use this document to begin gathering and tracking your application information prior to your final application submission.
Step 2
Once you are ready to input your final information into the Fellowship application, please contact volunteer.services@ahima.org to request a unique application link.
Please remember to retain a copy of all information for your application and all other materials for your records. Your application will not be returned to you following review by the Committee.
Step 3
Submit your application and then you will be directed to the AHIMA web store for payment.
Application Fee
There is a one time application fee of $250 for either candidacy or fellowship status. Payment may be made by check or credit card. Applicants who achieve candidacy status, or who are not initially accepted to fellowship status, have up to five years to resubmit their application and to achieve fellowship status. One resubmission during that five year period will be accepted. If Fellowship status has not been achieved following resubmission or five years (whichever occurs first), an additional application fee must be paid for further resubmissions
(Application fees are nonrefundable.)
Procedures for Determining Years of Work for the Fellowship Application
Sample CV
The 2019 Grace Award application period will open March 25, 2019
AHIMA Honors Yale New Haven Health 2018 Grace Award
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is pleased to announce that the 2018 Grace Award is being awarded to Yale New Haven Health. Named after AHIMA’s founder Grace Whiting Myers, the AHIMA Grace Award, in recognition of excellence in health information management (HIM), will be presented at the 90th AHIMA Annual Convention & Exhibit in Miami on September 24.
Ninety years ago, AHIMA founder Grace Whiting Myers acted on a sincere conviction to improve the quality of the nation’s health records by founding the association. AHIMA continues the annual recognition of the Grace Award to honor healthcare delivery organizations for their innovative and novel approaches to using HIM to deliver high-quality care to patients.
Yale New Haven Health, a non-profit, tertiary medical center, is being recognized for extensive efforts in coding and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) and business analytics to proactively manage at-risk populations, value-based reimbursement, and claims denials and appeals. HIM leadership permeates the organization with informatics and analytics efforts in HIM, coding, CDI, IT and patient account services. The organization reflects exemplary patient service in its outreach to schedule “well visit” appointments and accurately address gender identity in its electronic medical record. By putting members of HIM in leadership positions to coordinate its information governance efforts, Yale New Haven Health has reduced master patient index errors to under 2 percent, identified business unit data stewards, optimized space and centralized staff.
“Yale New Haven Health leverages analytics to support business decisions, cultivates a robust information governance program, and empowers consumers to optimize their health through management of their health information through a patient portal,” said AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE. “HIM professionals are an intrinsic part of this organization’s achievements. AHIMA is proud to present the Grace Award to Yale New Haven Health.”
Award evaluation criteria included how organizations support AHIMA’s strategic plan by integrating HIM throughout their organization to use and analyze healthcare data, serve as a leader in their organization and community, develop and grow information governance, support and contribute to innovation, and empower consumers in their own healthcare.
AHIMA also recognizes the University of Kansas Health System with an honorable mention for accomplishments in advancing the use of analytics to drive improvements in patient care and physician documentation and to drive information governance throughout the organization.
This year’s Grace Award committee includes: Chairperson Elizabeth Curtis, RHIA, CHPS, FAHIMA, Administrative Director Medical Information Management, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Major Tracie C. Allen, MS, RHIA, FACHE, US Army Chief, Administrative Operations Mission Support, USTC/TPMRC-WU.S. Transportation Command, Theater Patient Movement Requirements Center; Shelly Asbury, CCS, CCS-P, Director, Physician Coding Compliance, JSA Healthcare; Kenneth Clyburn, RHIA, CHPS, Health Information Services Director, Beaufort Memorial Hospital; Stephanie Luthi-Terry, MA, RHIA, CHPS, FAHIMA, Director, Enterprise HIM Integration/Business Solutions, Allina Healthcare; Nicole Mathis-Walker, RHIA, Associate Director, HIM, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Kyle McElroy, MS, RHIA, Corporate Associate Vice President of HIM Operations, IASIS Healthcare; Sandra Pearson, RHIA, CHDA, CDI & Data Governance Director, SCL Health.
Previous winners of the award include:
Celebrating the Remarkable Contributions of HIM Professionals from Around the Globe
Sponsored by 
AHIMA Convention & Exhibit.
Award Categories: Descriptions, Qualifications, and Guidelines
Previous Triumph Award recipients
Application for AHIMA Triumph Award- Nomination Due by June 3, 2019
2018 AHIMA Triumph Award Recipients.
2018 AHIMA Triumph Award Recipients
Distinguished Member Award
Mark S. Dietz, RHIA
Advocacy and Public Policy Award
Tracy A. Elmer, RHIA
Educator Award
Mariruth Petrik, MBA, RHIA, CCS,
CCS-P, FAHIMA
Emerging Leader Award
Davin D. Foster, RHIT
Leadership Award
Sue Clarke-Kendrick, MHA, RHIA
Mentor Award
Kealia (Kay) A. Folck, MHA, RHIA,
CPEHR, CPHIT
Student Award
Andrea K. Pringle
Isabel Quintana, MA, CCA
2018 AHIMA Triumph Awards Brochure
General Guidance: Identifying Persons to Nominate for AHIMA Triumph Awards
Potential sources for nominees include the following: State Leaders, Fellows, and other HIM professionals who have distinguished themselves as leaders.
Nominations Guidelines
All nominations must be submitted using the 2019 AHIMA Triumph Awards application, completed in its entirety. Nominations must follow the nomination guidelines and must include the supporting materials listed below. Nominations for the 2019 Triumph Award nominations are due by June 3, 2019.
Individuals who have previously won a particular award are not eligible to win that award again, even if it has been reformatted. They may, however, be nominated for a different award. The Nominator is responsible for assuring that all required documentation is collected for the nominee. Incomplete submissions may adversely impact the committee's ability to adequately and fully evaluate a nominee.
The AHIMA Triumph Awards Committee will review all nominations for determination of award issuance. If none of the nominees for a particular award reflect the level of achievement expected of an award recipient, the committee reserves the right to recommend that the award not be presented.
Members of the AHIMA Triumph Awards Committee, the AHIMA Board of Directors, and AHIMA staff are not eligible for awards during their term of service, even if the service for which they would be nominated occurred prior to their term of service or employment.
All nomination materials become the property of AHIMA. Materials cannot be returned.
AHIMA strives to reflect in its membership and leadership the diversity within the United States, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, special needs and other diverse populations. AHIMA encourages the celebration of promotion of diversity through education mentoring, recognition, leadership and other programs.
AHIMA Triumph Awards Presentation 2019
AHIMA Triumph Award recipients will be notified on or before August 2019; and presented with the awards at the 2019 AHIMA Health Data and Information Conference in Chicago, IL. While not mandatory, all recipients are encouraged to be present or to designate an individual to accept the award on their behalf. Award recipients will be featured in the Journal of AHIMA and on the AHIMA website in the AHIMA Triumph Awards section. In addition, AHIMA will provide all awardees with a press release for distribution to recipient’s local media outlets.
2019 AHIMA Triumph Awards Committee Members
We wish to thank the 2019 AHIMA Triumph Awards Committee for their dedication and hard work.
Chair
Renae L. Spohn, MBA, RHIA, CPHQ, CPHI, FNAHQ, FAHIMA
Members
Marie T. Conde, MPA, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA
Theresa Eichelmann, RHIA
Diana M. Flood, MS, RHIA
Marques Edgar Grant, RHIA
Varadraj Prabhu Gurupur, PhD, MS, RHIA
Megan McDougal, MS, RHIA, CHTS-IM
Grissel Pabon, MS, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P
Isabel Quintana, MA, CCA
To find out more about the AHIMA Triumph Awards, please visit our Web site. Nominations for 2019 awards are due by June 3, 2019.