Members of this group reflect the diversity of backgrounds and educational paths of thousands of students in health information management (HIM) programs. The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) collaborates with AHIMA’s leadership, members, and staff to create new resources and opportunities for students as they transition from students into HIM professionals in a complex health information workforce. SAC members: plan and present at the Student Academy at convention; advocate for the profession during Hill Day; support their fellow students in the Future HIM Leaders community in Engage; and assist AHIMA in creating the member resources to help students build the careers they want.

Please contact the SAC at students@ahima.org.  Applications for the 2019 Committee will open in the spring.

Join the Student Advisory Committee from AHIMA on Vimeo.

Gabriela Arroyo, University of Illinois at Chicago
Ms. Arroyo is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management. She is the president of the HIM class of 2019 and is currently employed as a Medical Record Technician Aide within the HIM department at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. She will pursue her RHIA certification prior to graduation. She is passionate about HIM and is looking forward to advocating for the profession. As a SAC member, she is enthusiastic to collaborate with AHIMA’s leaders, members, and staff to encourage current and prospective HIM student involvement in AHIMA.

Zoe Delozier, University of Pittsburgh
Ms. Delozier is a senior in the bachelor’s program in health information management at the University of Pittsburgh and is set to graduate in April of 2019.  She is the 2018 Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association (PHIMA) Student Scholarship recipient, a scholarship based on academic merit. Zoe spent the summer of 2018 with UPMC (the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) working on a credentialing project with Physician Services under the HIM department. She was inspired to pursue a career in HIM by a family friend who is a HIM consultant. Zoe is looking forward to beginning a career in HIM and is excited to become a mentor to other students.

Tennea Taylor-Jenkins, Ohio State University
Tennea is a senior studying health information management and systems (HIMS) at The Ohio State University. She currently serves as vice president of Minority and Ally Students in Healthcare (MARS). In this organization, she dedicates her time to helping other students pursuing careers in healthcare to develop professionally. Through this organization, she also advocates for the HIM profession in hopes of encouraging others to pursue the field. Tennea hopes that in her work in the SAC she will bring more awareness to the opportunities students have in getting more involved with AHIMA.

Eryn Stevens, Baker College of Clinton Township
Mrs. Stevens is a sophomore at Baker College in Clinton Twp., MI, majoring in Health Information Technology (HIT). She serves as president for the HIT class of 2019 and plans to sit for the RHIT exam after graduation. Eryn is currently employed full-time with Team Rehabilitation as a Legal Biller within a newly developed division of their Revenue Cycle Management department. As a member of the SAC, she hopes to encourage and inspire other students in the same way her mentors have in pursuit of success and innovation within the industry.

Brittany Hernandez, Hutchinson Community College
Mrs. Hernandez is pursuing her Associate of Applied Science degree in health information management through Hutchinson Community College online. She obtained an Associate degree in General Studies with a focus in American Sign Language in 2016. She also serves her community by facilitating after-school programs that help develop interpersonal skills and encourage friendships. Brittany is currently employed as a Health Information Management Associate in a person-first long-term care facility in Manhattan, Kansas. She is honored to serve on the Student Advisory Committee and excited to collaborate with other student professionals in Health Information Management.

Shefali Majithia, RHIT, CPC-A, Illinois State University
Shefali is currently enrolled in the health information management program at Illinois State University and is expected to graduate at the end of 2019. She earned her CPC-A while obtaining an associate at Waubonsee Community College from which she gained her RHIT certification. She really worked hard to truly understand the HIM field, especially when taking coding classes. She interned at a multi-specialty group practice for three months within their HIM department.  She currently works for a healthcare consulting and billing company that has almost 40 clients.  Shefali is very committed to learning and keeping up with new trends within the HIM field by reading AAPC/AHIMA articles and networking. Shefali can’t wait to share her experiences as a student and hopefully become helpful to students that are studying in the same field.

Elaine O’Bleness, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CHP, CRCR, Chair
Elaine is a current member of the Council of Excellence Committee and chair of the Student Advisory Committee.  She works as a Revenue Cycle Executive at Cerner Corporation, serving as a Subject Matter Expert in the HIM and Medical Coding areas.  Prior to joining Cerner, Elaine served as Banner Health’s Western Region Director of Health Information Services, managing the HIM operations of 11 facilities across 6 states.  Additionally, she managed her own HIM consulting practice.  Elaine has served as the President of the Colorado Health Information Association and has been sought after for multiple speaking engagements.  She also teaches ICD-10 Coding and Healthcare Reimbursement at Regis University in Denver Colorado. 

This group of recently graduated health information professionals collaborates with AHIMA leadership, members, and staff to create new resources and opportunities for students and new graduates. Committee members represent different career paths and journeys in health information management (HIM), and share their experiences to help others navigate the current landscape: transitioning from students into HIM professionals in a complex health information workforce, taking advantage of the career-planning resources, leadership opportunities, and professional development that AHIMA provides.

Applications for the 2019 term are now open. Applications will close September 30, 2018. Apply Now! Please contact the New Graduate Leadership Committee at newgrads@ahima.org

Rebecca Teleszky, RHIA, Chair

Ms. Teleszky is a 2015 graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC), Post-Baccalaureate RHIA program. Prior to attending UIC, she received her Bachelors in Science in Speech Pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Originally from Chicago, she now resides in Los Angeles, where she works as the Supervisor of Operations in the Health Information Management Department, at the University of California (UCLA) Health. Prior to this role, she started her HIM career as a Regulatory Audit Coordinator at UCLA Health. Ms. Teleszky has worked in the field for two years now and is an active committee member for both the California Health Information Association (CHIA) and AHIMA. She is incredibly passionate about the HIM field and aspires to be a Director of a large hospital system and a HIM educator. As part of the NGLC, she hopes she can help others find their niche in the HIM world.

Carlon Zephirin

Mr. Zephirin graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey with a Master of Science in Bioinformatics in January 2016. He is currently a statistical analyst at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He provides analytics and statistical counsel to the hospital's healthcare providers and leadership. He specializes in clinical statistics, process measurements and data management. As a member of the New Graduate Leadership Committee, he hopes to help develop leaders and educate members about the new roles in HIM.

Curran Eigelberger

Curran E. Eigelberger received 2016 Student Triumph Award.    As a student at St. Louis University’s Health Information Management Program, Mr. Eigelberger was the VP of the HIM Student Association, and served at the local and state HIMA/CSA. In addition, Mr. Eigelberger played Division 2 hockey for St. Louis University. Most notability, Curran was one of the few students selected for the AHIMA Student Advisory Committee (SAC).  Curran presented at AHIMA’s 2015 National Convention Student Academy and participated in Hill Day in Washington, DC. Curran volunteered at the Eastern Missouri Health Information Management Association (eMoHIMA) and at the Missouri Health Information Management Association (MoHIMA). Mr. Eigelberger completed his PPE at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis, MO. St. Anthony’s is a 776 bed acute care hospital. During his PPE, was offered a position prior to graduation as an electronic health record application analyst. He is committed to the HIM profession and its success. He served as an EHR application analyst after graduation, supporting Epic HIM modules for the medical center. Currently, Curran is attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Health Administration (MHA). He was offered a graduate teaching assistantship position at the university. The combination of HIM with an MHA degree will aid him in pursing his dream job goal of becoming a c-suite executive at a large healthcare organization. 

Carmela Coughlon

Ms. Coughlon graduated from the University of Maryland University Campus with a Masters degree in Health Informatics Administration in May of 2017. She resides in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area where she works as an intern in the Electronic Health Record/Minimum Data Set department. As a student, she was a member of the AHIMA organization. With her new role as a member of the New Graduate Leadership Committee, she hopes to continue her involvement with AHIMA and promote engagement among her peers.

Jamila Brand

If you've been on the health care journey for even a short time, you may find it is a colorful path. My journey began in community mental health about 10 years ago. Currently, I'm the supervisor of the Admitting and Business Office team at the largest hospital in New England: Rhode Island Hospital. I'm also back in school and aspiring to become a CHDA, CPQH, and Six Sigma Yellow Belt. During my nine plus years in healthcare, I have learned that my passion lies in training and technology. It didn't take long for me to realize AHIMA is an amazing organization that brings me closer to my health care passions. Being a part of the New Graduate Leadership Council is another brightly colored step on my path to the future of HIM!

Lyudmila Prokhorova, RHIT

I am a 2017 graduate from Rasmussen College HIT program. I am from Amelia, Virginia and work for Rasmussen College as School of Health Science Tutor, helping students with coding, billing, health care laws and many more subjects. I am currently doing Bachelor degree in HIM as well as Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program. I have received RHIT credential in September 2017 and I am very excited to start my journey with AHIMA organization. I want to be able to promote AHIMA as a tutor to my students and help them with their career path.

Shanique James, RHIA

Shanique James graduated Magna Cum Laude August 2017 from Florida A&M University, with a Bachelors in Health Informatics and Information Management.  As a student she was the Vice-President of the Student Health Information Management Student Association and volunteered in various events in the community to bring awareness of the HIM field.  As a member of the NGLC she hopes to inspire more students to become involved and informed of the vast opportunities available in the HIM field. 

Todd Norden, RHIA

Mr. Norden is a 2017 graduate from the health information administration program at Dakota State University in Madison, SD. A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, he now lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he serves as a charge description master analyst for the Avera Health system. He discovered his passion for health information management while working in digital communications/marketing for the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and after a career in journalism spanning over 15 years. Mr. Norden is currently a volunteer newsletter editor for SDHIMA and a 2015 recipient of the Linda Kloss Honorary Endowed Scholarship. Interested in all things HIM, he is grateful for the support of family and friends during his career transition and wants to serve as a resource for aspiring HIM professionals to find resources available to them, offer encouragement to them, and realize the opportunity and potential before them.