The Standard

Health Level Seven International (HL7^®), the global authority on interoperability of health information technology with members in 55 countries, announced election results for its board of directors, international council and technical steering committee during its annual business meeting at the 38th Annual Plenary and Working Group Meeting in Atlanta.

Chair-Elect

The membership selected Carol Macumber, executive vice president of Clinical Architecture, as chair-elect in 2025 and board chair for 2026-2027.

HL7 Board Member Elections

The following members were elected to the HL7 board of directors for the 2025-2026 term:

• Secretary — Yan Heras, Ph.D., principal, Optimum eHealth LLC
• Director — Gora Datta, FHL7, chairman and chief executive officer, CAL2CAL Corporation
• Director — Ken Rubin, FHL7, senior advisor, standards and interoperability, CIDMO, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Affiliate Director — Ron Parker, FHL7, chair, HL7 Canada; principal, Parker Digital Health Consulting Inc
• Affiliate Director — Line Saele​, chair, HL7 Norway; enterprise architect, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

After 32 years of serving HL7 International as the Executive Director, Mark McDougall will retire at the end of this year. HL7 leadership would like to acknowledge Mark's significant contributions to the organization across the decades.

Andy Truscott, FHL7, HL7 Board Chair states, "Mark's unwavering commitment and visionary leadership have been pivotal in advancing healthcare standards and interoperability across our organization. As Executive Director, Mark consistently demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to our mission. His ability to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare informatics and standards development has been instrumental in shaping HL7 into the dynamic organization it is today. Mark's passion for improving healthcare outcomes through enhanced interoperability has not only guided our work but has served as an inspiration to us all.

As Mark prepares to embark upon retirement, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. His legacy within HL7 will be enduring, shaping the way we approach healthcare standards and data exchange for years to come.

We acknowledge and honor his exemplary service and commitment to our cause. Thank you, Mark, for your invaluable contributions, and we wish you a retirement filled with happiness, health and new adventures."

HL7^® International, the global authority on interoperability of health information technology with members in 55 countries, today announced the appointment of two new members to the HL7 board of directors to serve a two-year term: Aashima Gupta, director, global healthcare solutions, Google Cloud; Judy Wawira Gichoya, M.D., M.S., assistant professor, radiology and imaging sciences, Emory University School of Medicine.

“These leaders represent a critical cross section of global stakeholders who are committed to advancing health through information technology. We are delighted to welcome them to the HL7 board of directors,” said Charles Jaffe, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of HL7. “Their strategic expertise and diverse experience will contribute greatly to HL7’s goal of improving the quality of care and reducing costs by overcoming the barriers to interoperability.”