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SNOMED International Announces Management Board Changes

October 7, 2020

Since the date of issue, this information is now out of date and has been archived. It has been made available for reference.



London, United Kingdom, October 7, 2020 –  Changes are underway for SNOMED International’s Management Board, a governance body which has legal and oversight responsibility for the management and direction of SNOMED International.


At the end of August 2020, SNOMED International appointed Joanne Burns to the role of Board Chair, having previously served the organization in the role of vice-chair.  Joanne Burns succeeds Lady Barbara Judge CBE, SNOMED International’s Management Board Chair and highly respected and globally recognized governance expert, who recently passed away.


Joanne Burns, a highly valued part of the Management Board since April 2017, has worked closely with the General Assembly Executive and the CEO to shape the 2020-2025 SNOMED International strategy, offering actionable insights on measuring value to the organization and Members.  An organization that features a multi-tiered governance structure, a fluid working relationship between the Management Board and the General Assembly is an essential component of success for SNOMED International. 



Acknowledging Outgoing Members


SNOMED International bid a fond farewell to our outgoing Directors whose terms have concluded.  Dr. Douglas Fridsma, appointed 2015, and Dr. Cheemin Bo-Linn, appointed 2017, have both exhibited excellence in their management of the organization’s risk portfolio, leaving the Management Board governing body well-positioned to support SNOMED International as it works toward achieving its established goals.


Dr. Fridsma, a health informatics expert who first joined the Management Board as a Director in 2015, has been a strong proponent of good governance and sound financial management practices.  Dr. Fridsma became the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee Chair in 2017 and has participated on the Management Board’s revenue subcommittee, where he led a number of strategic discussions resulting in operational improvement initiatives.


Dr. Bo-Linn, CEO of Peritus Partners Inc., held the role of vice-chair of the FARC.  Over the past three years, Dr. Bo-Linn has encouraged SNOMED International to optimize how its harnesses, adopts and implements advanced technology befitting a terminology.  In 2019, she was recognized as one of the Top 50 Directors in the United States by the National Association of Corporate Directors for her significant impact on boardroom practice and performance. 


“During my tenure working with Doug and Cheemin, I have observed how each has left a lasting and positive impact on SNOMED International,” said the organization’s CEO, Don Sweete.  “I thank them both for their unique contributions and their leadership over the past three years and wish them every success in their future endeavours.”


 

Welcoming New Directors


We are pleased to welcome four new Management Board Directors, all of whom will formally join SNOMED International at the October 2020 Business Meetings.

Our newly appointed Management Board Directors bring to the organization a wealth of experience in global healthcare and informatics, advanced technologies, organizational governance and business leadership.  As such, they are well-positioned to guide SNOMED International in the execution of its 2020-2025 strategy by leveraging technologies and strengthening partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders in private and public sector organizations across the globe.


Hadas Bitran, Tel Aviv-based founder and head of Microsoft Healthcare Israel, brings to SNOMED International’s MB considerable expertise in the area of building AI technologies and products for health and life sciences, including language services, natural language processing, personal health assistant technologies and machine learning based solutions.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Hadas held senior leadership positions at SAP after managing R&D and product teams in start-up companies.  She received her BSc degree in Computer Science from Tel Aviv University, and her MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in Chicago.


Dr. Isabelle de Zegher, previously Vice President, Integrated Solutions, at Parexel Informatics, recently left her corporate career to found a start-up that is developing an AI-based solution empowering individuals to curate their personal data.  Dr. de Zegher offers extensive board and advisory experience across a variety of EU initiatives, including with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry.  A member of the Health Level Seven (HL7) Technical Committee for nearly a decade, Dr. de Zegher also serves on the Board of Directors of CDISC, the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium, a standards development organization seeking to create clarity in the clinical research domain.


Professor Michael Lewis, has 30 years global health industry experience, and among other roles, is currently Chair of five medical and contract research organizations as well as digital health companies. Professor Lewis has previously held a series of senior roles at various European companies focused on pharma, biotech, digital, dental, devices and diagnostics.  Professor Lewis is also a frequent speaker at conferences and events on digital health-focused topics such as mental health, investment and innovation.


Dr. Andrew Roddam is currently the CEO of the UK Early Disease Detection Research Project.  An internationally renowned epidemiologist, Andrew has held a wide range of roles across both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, principally focused on the application of epidemiological methods to advance the understanding of human disease.  He has a strong interest in health informatics and is an experienced board member within the UK and internationally who regularly participates at international meetings and conferences as a keynote speaker.


“We look forward to the combined wisdom and experience each new Director brings as we work toward executing our strategy and measuring its impact to our Members and users worldwide” says SNOMED International CEO Don Sweete.  The organization’s four newly appointed Directors join Board Chair, Joanne Burns, and Directors Dr. Gong Mengchun and Dr. Matic Meglic.


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