Posted on May 18, 2004 at 9:10 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has added one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of information systems management to its faculty. Herb Smaltz, Ph.D., currently chief knowledge officer (CKO) for the U.S. Air Force Medical Service, will join the department of health services administration in the School of Health Related Professions as an associate professor. Smaltz will also serve as chief technology officer (CTO) for the UAB Health System (UABHS).

Smaltz, who earned his doctorate in Business Administration – MIS in 1999 from Florida State University, says that for healthcare organizations, typified by non-traditional organizational structures and complex political and operational processes, knowledge management is a natural means of overcoming barriers to efficiency and effectiveness.

“In lay terms, it’s knowing what an organization already knows and bringing it to bear at the point of need, as opposed to reinventing the wheel,” says Smaltz. “It’s much more than simply bringing data or information to bear on the organization’s challenges. It also leverages the tacit knowledge resident in people and the explicit knowledge in documents and other forms of media that are created non-stop throughout the organization.”

Smaltz’ role as UAB Health System CTO will focus on assessing the value of the healthcare information management systems, including publication of new innovative methods in professional journals and the pursuit of grants for implementing information systems in care delivery organizations.

“The addition of Herb Smaltz to our faculty gives us one of the leading figures in knowledge management and information systems management in the country,” says Gerald Glandon, Ph.D., chair of the department of health services administration. “His presence will complement the skills of the outstanding faculty in the health informatics program as we continue to raise the program’s national and international visibility.”

“Managing the flow of information in a large healthcare delivery organization is an increasingly difficult and complex task," says Dr. Michael Waldrum, chief information officer of UABHS. "Dr. Smaltz will provide leadership in evaluating new information systems and investigate ways to expand and improve those systems."

The health informatics program in SHRP prepares students to become senior and executive level managers to meet the needs of the health service workplace through the efficient and effective planning, management, design, integration, implementation, and evaluation of enterprise-wide health care information systems.