V. Gail Turner, DNP, MBA, NI-BC, PMP joined McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston as an assistant professor of Clinical Health Informatics, in December 2023. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Turner was an adjunct professor at SBMI from August 2015 through 2023. Turner also co-taught at MSBMI for Change Management in Health Informatics and Systems Analysis and Project Management. Turner worked at a large healthcare organization for over 27 years and held various positions including critical care nurse, Information Technology implementation director, associate chief nursing informatics officer (CNIO), and lead project manager. As an implementation director, Turner led a team of informatics that implemented CPOE across the healthcare system. As associate CNIO, she collaborated across the health system for streamlined workflows and improved processes across the organization's healthcare landscape. Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas Women’s University, an MBA from Our Lady of The Lake University, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from UTHealth Houston Cizik School of Nursing. Turner is certified by the American Nurses Association in Informatics Nursing, and by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional.
- Tell us about your research center and/or what research you are currently working on?
Cross section between informatics and project management and how this improves information technology implementation outcomes.
- What does the future of your research look like?
Focus on research to support informaticians and others desiring to apply and incorporate informatics theory, knowledge, strategies, and tools into their healthcare practices.
- What does the future of informatics look like?
Informatics is evolving and gaining popularity as those in informatics bring value to health care. Visualize a carriage wheel. There are several parts of a wheel and depending on the source, there is a difference of opinion on which wheel part is the most important. This analogy focuses on the felloe, the outer rim of a wheel, to which the spokes are fixed. Informatics provides the foundational sturdiness to healthcare when there is an organizational focus on workflow, process improvement, care coordination, and improved patient outcomes. As health care continues to change and morph, the need for informatics will continue to grow in strategic importance. As informatics continues to make its presence known, solidify how informatics positively impacts health care outcomes, and provide concrete value, the future of informatics has no bounds or limits.
- What courses do you teach?
Dr. Turner will assume the primary instructor role for BMI 5313 Foundations of Electronic Health Records and Clinical Information Systems. This course is designed to provide informatics students with an overview of the key concepts regarding implementation of a clinically oriented information system.
Dr. Turner will assist as co-instructor for BMI 5300 Introduction to Biomedical Informatics. This introductory graduate-level survey course provides an overview of Biomedical Informatics and Health Information Technology and introduces the student to the major areas of the evolving discipline.
