As the CIO for HealthIT, Dr. Patel provides leadership for translating VUMC healthcare delivery, quality, and patient safety goals into informatics strategies to optimize the delivery of patient care. He collaborates with operational and clinical leadership to foster systemic adoption and effective use of clinical applications to promote patient safety and high-quality care across the continuum and reduce the costs of care, in support of the VUMC mission.

Dr. Patel has extensive experience in the use of healthcare information technology to improve clinical and quality processes, with more than 20 years of experience in implementing and advancing the use of computer order entry systems and electronic health records. He has worked with industry as well as other healthcare organizations to think strategically and proactively about the use of clinical informatics tools to transform the delivery of clinical care.  Using the combination of his clinical expertise, knowledge of healthcare information technology and focus on workflow and logistics, Dr. Patel has developed key insights into the intersection of clinical space, workflow and team function. 

Dr. Patel has been with VUMC since 1997, when he joined VUMC as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics (Division of Pediatric Critical Care and Anesthesia) after completing his residency and fellowship at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. He spearheaded the introduction of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). 

In addition to his CIO role, Dr. Patel is also Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and has adjacent faculty appointments in Anesthesiology and Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Patel received his M.D. from the University of Southern California. He also has a master's degree in Public Health from Vanderbilt University, which he completed as a full-time physician. 

As the Chief Medical Information Officer for HealthIT, Dara Mize serves as the primary liaison to clinical leadership across VUMC and leads the team of clinical directors who have extensive expertise in clinical informatics. These clinical directors work with HealthIT experts to analyze, develop and implement solutions that optimize the use of technology and its impact on caring for VUMC’s patients and families.

Bobby oversees the Clinical Care Group, which is responsible for all of the applications that are directly or indirectly involved in patient care at VUMC. Before returning to Vanderbilt in 2016 to oversee the expansion of the IT arm of our Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network (VHAN), Bobby was the Chief Technology Officer for digiChart, Inc, a SaaS-based EHR for OB/GYN providers in 38 states and the US Virgin Islands. While at digiChart, Bobby was responsible for product design, development, quality assurance, client services, and technical operations. Before joining digiChart, Bobby was the Chief Executive Officer of C7 Technologies, LLC, a technology skunkworks inside of Vanguard Health Systems, Inc. Under Bobby’s leadership, C7 designed, developed and implemented innovative technologies for front-line staff in Vanguard’s hospitals. Bobby holds a BBA from Lipscomb University and was named the 2012 Southeastern HIMSS Innovator of the Year.

Nimesh joined HealthIT in 2018 to oversee the Technical Enterprise & Peri-Procedural Group, which manages the hardware and infrastructure that support HealthIT products. His team also manages the specialty application used in surgeries at VUMC. Nimesh has spent the entirety of his more than 25-year professional career at VUMC, beginning as a research assistant in the Department of Anesthesiology. He served as the Director of Perioperative Informatics and Computing for the Departments of Anesthesiology and Operative Services for more than 20 years, where he was responsible for both clinical and administrative systems.  

Nimesh’s research has been featured in nearly 30 major publications, including The Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, 71st Clinical and Scientific Congress of the International Anesthesia Research Society, Telemedicine and E-Health Journal. He holds both a master’s degree and two bachelor's degrees in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University. 

As the executive director of the Patient Access & Revenue Cycle Group, Byung is responsible for all HealthIT products that support patient accounting, insurance and payer reimbursement, admissions, patient movement, scheduling, and access. Byung joined VUMC in 2018 after nearly five years with Community Health Systems, where he served as a vice president of information systems and as the IT leader for the organization's non-clinical systems. With more than 25 years of IT experience, Byung has worked at PwC, specializing in enterprise resource planning for software implementations, as a leader of his own consulting practice, and as the CIO of a healthcare provider group in Florida. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MS from Northwestern University in Medical Informatics. 

Peter is responsible for product development across the HealthIT organization. Using a roadmap-driven approach, he ensures developed products are aligned with VUMC strategy and industry trends. Prior to joining VUMC in 2016, Peter served as VP Product Development and Chief Architect at Marshfield Clinic Information Services Inc. (MCIS), MCIS is an IT company dedicated to delivering and managing cutting-edge products and services for healthcare providers. Prior to serving at MCIS, he served as Marshfield Clinic's Chief Enterprise Architect.

Peter has more than 15 years of experience in health care technology, primarily in a large multi-specialty ambulatory setting. A native of Wisconsin, Peter holds a Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh.

Wendy supports execution of strategic initiatives and works closely with operational leadership to translate strategies into operational plans.  She also partners with departmental colleagues to establish governance processes and execute plans. Wendy oversees the business analysis, customer relationship management, communications and PMO teams. 

Prior to her current role, Wendy served as the associate program director for VUMC’s implementation of Epic. She joined Vanderbilt in 2000 and has held many different positions within HealthIT over the years. Wendy received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Health Informatics from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Brent is responsible for customer-facing operational readiness and support teams in HealthIT. These teams’ primary goal is to ensure effective and efficient adoption of the HealthIT portfolio of services. He and his teams work closely with operational leaders and end users to complete these objectives.

Prior to joining VUMC in 2011, Brent served in various operational leadership roles in technology startups in the Nashville area. Within these roles he was active in raising capital, managing financials and working with customers to ensure their satisfaction.  Before moving to the Nashville area to pursue his MBA, he worked for British Telecom in both London and New York on large Systems Integration and various consulting projects within the financial service and travel industries.  

A native of Minnesota, Brent holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.