Chief Health Information Officer

University of Michigan Health (U-M Health) has retained Kirby Partners to support their search for a Chief Health Information Officer.

U-M Health is the clinical care arm of Michigan Medicine, which is the University of Michigan’s premier, highly ranked academic medical center and integrated health system, known for award‑winning patient care, leading medical education, groundbreaking research, and state‑of‑the‑art facilities.

In addition to the hospitals and health centers that comprise the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, the U-M Health statewide network of care includes the hospitals and health centers of UM Health-Sparrow and UM Health-West.

Honors and Awards

For 2025-26, the hospitals of the University of Michigan’s academic medical center were named among the nation’s very best hospitals, including being ranked the #1 hospital in Michigan, and among the top 10 hospitals in the nation in three specialties by U.S. News & World Report. U-M Health was also named one of the World’s Best Hospitals, #12 in the United States, and America’s Best Hospitals for Specialized Care by Newsweek and Statista.

Job Summary

The Chief Health Information Officer (CHIO) is the executive leader responsible for the implementation, integration, and operation of the electronic health record and associated information technology products and infrastructure in support of the tripartite mission of the University of Michigan Health. This includes informing overall enterprise clinical informatics strategy; providing expert clinical informatics advice and guidance; working collaboratively with others to ensure patient and clinical involvement in the planning, development, delivery, and evaluation of systems and services; and championing the use of informatics as an enabler for high quality, safe clinical care.

This position is integral to the overall strategic alignment and execution of traditional, as well as novel/evolving/innovative digital health solutions. This will require leading changes with people and process as part of technologic transformation. As such, this position requires the entire complement of clinical informatics expertise (e.g. clinical decision support, care process improvement, clinical workflow analysis, patient safety, information system architecture and security, human factors engineering, regulatory and privacy implications) and strong leadership skills (change management, budgeting, supervising multidisciplinary teams, communication and interpersonal skills).

This position sits at a convergence of technology, quality and safety, patient and caregiver experience. While the CHIO reports to the Chief Medical Officer, University of Michigan Health they must closely collaborate with the Chief Digital and Information Officer, Medical Staff, Compliance, the Quality Department as well as other executive members of the health system and the region.

Responsibilities

1. Provide leadership in the areas of strategic planning, strategy execution, and implementation of clinical information systems and processes for U-M Health.
2. Demonstrate effective leadership skills of delegation, organization, development of team members, and coordination of local intra-department activities and broader enterprise system integration. This includes serving as an executive leader in an electronic health record (EHR) modernization program to tailor multiple EHRs to evolving health system needs.
3. Foster stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Partner and develop alliances with the U-M Health Information and Technology Services, Medical Staff, Nursing, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Radiology, and other departments regarding clinical informatics initiatives, up to and including modernization of the EHR across all sites of care.
4. Work across U-M Health at an enterprise level, including all local and regional inpatient, ambulatory and regional sites of care. Provide executive leadership and support/create where necessary, enterprise governance structures as part of a robust health information technology governance process.
5. Champion innovation and continuous improvement. Promote a culture of innovation to enhance health information systems and processes. Evaluate and recommend new technologies or system upgrades to improve functionality and efficiency. Lead continuous improvement activities to enhance clinical utilization and user experience of health information technology.
6. Create and enforce standards through the use of the EHR and patient data that increase the quality of patient care, operational efficiency and patient safety. Ensure that clinical information systems follow the best practices for standards, terminology, interoperability, and performance.
7. Participate in appropriate continuing education activities, including national conferences and develops collaborative relationships with other academic health systems.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• If applicable, eligible up to 20% faculty appointment within the respective specialty at the University of Michigan Medical School or other professional school.
• Demonstrated competency in standard core informatics content, including fundamentals of clinical informatics, clinical decision making, health information systems, and leading and managing change.
• At least 5 years of experience in strategic leadership role integrating clinical operations, informatics, and enterprise goals.
• Experience in practice-based learning and improvement, system-based practice, and leading interdisciplinary teams, especially in clinical settings.
• Formal training in clinical informatics is highly desirable.

Education

• Terminal clinical degree such as MD, DO, DNP, or equivalent required.
• Master’s Degree or equivalent, such as fellowship in quality or related field (MBA, MHA, etc.) preferred.

Skills/Abilities

• Experience working in Academic Medical Center with close ties to community hospitals
• Experience in EHR integration, Epic specifically
• Collaborate effectively across clinical, operational, and IT teams
• Think strategically and aligns informatics with system goals
• Bridging academic, clinical, and research informatics priorities
• Adapting informatics strategies to support growth or integration
• Thinking and action that considers the organization as a whole in the development of business solutions. Assure influence and action to achieve success of the organization as a whole, without losing focus on individual’s primary responsibilities.
• Achieves people, quality, finance, service and growth objectives through effective deployment and management of all systems and resources.
• Expert communicator to support change management
• Achieve a high performing engaged workforce committed to advancing the organization’s mission.

About Ann Arbor, Michigan

An Urban Oasis

Located 40 miles west of Detroit along the banks of the Huron River in Southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor is a premier college town with 67 walkable blocks. Known for its lush landscape, the area offers year-round opportunities for outdoor activities. From kayaking, canoeing, tubing and paddle boarding in the summer, to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating in the winter, there’s plenty to do.

A Great Place for Families

U.S. News & World Report ranks Ann Arbor in the top 20 places to live and has ranked four schools on their best high school rankings.

Centrally Located

Ann Arbor is about 45 minutes from the large metropolitan area of Detroit, and within a 4-hour drive of Chicago and Toronto, as well as other major U.S. cities.

Procedure for Candidacy

Final candidates should expect two interviews with Kirby Partners recruiters (including a video conference interview). You may be asked to complete our “Executive Profile” and submit references to be considered for presentation to the search committee.