Heather Hunn, RHIA leads the Federal Aviation Administration’s Autopsy Program Team in Oklahoma City, OK. In this role Heather assists the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with aviation accident investigation efforts. Heather is responsible for coordinating autopsy and toxicology services as well as maintaining autopsy reports for pilots involved in fatal aviation accidents across the United States. Her focus is managing autopsy records and maintaining the system used to store medical, investigatory, and pilot certification data to support the FAA’s review of pilot medical conditions after fatal aviation accidents. She is responsible for supporting research, data coding efforts and continual quality review of the data. While this is not your traditional health information department, the beauty of this fields is that each day brings a new scenario or challenge and that is no different in Heather’s role at the FAA.

Heather is also an adjunct instructor for the Transportation Safety Institute where she teaches aviation accident investigators about her team’s role in aviation accident investigation and explaining the importance of autopsy and toxicology services for fatal pilots. Heather’s volunteer activities include serving as a mentor to HI students, volunteering on academic advisory boards and many leadership roles on the Oklahoma Health Information Management Association Board (OkHIMA). Some of her previous roles with OkHIMA include Recognition manager, where she revamped their annual awards program, Nominating Committee Chair, Secretary and Publications Chair. She is currently serving as the Membership Director. Heather is excited to see what the future holds as the work of health information professionals is important and ever changing.