Samsung Medical Center (SMC) announced that Professor Son Meong-hi, from the Department of Emergency Medicine and associate director of the Center for Digital and Data Innovation, has been appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Son is the first Korean to serve on the board. She will serve a four-year term beginning July 2025.

HIMSS is a U.S. nonprofit organization that promotes the integration of information technology into the healthcare environment to streamline healthcare systems, improve patient safety, and enhance the quality of care. With more than 100,000 individual members and 500 institutional members worldwide, HIMSS is one of the most authoritative organizations for assessing the digital maturity and informatization levels of healthcare organizations.

The HIMSS Board of Directors is the key decision-making body that drives global strategy and policy development in health information, comprising 11 experts from industry, hospitals, government, and academia worldwide. They set the strategic direction of HIMSS, establish its governance structure, and make significant business decisions.

HIMSS board members have previously been chief medical information officers (CMIOs and CIOs) from top U.S. healthcare organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic.

Samsung Medical Center has achieved Stage 7, the highest level, in four of the six domains (EMRAM, INFRAM, DIAM, and AMAM) certified by HIMSS, and has also been recognized for its world-class digital maturity, scoring 400 out of 400 on the Digital Health Indicator (DHI).

In addition, SMC President Park Seung-woo’s keynote speech at the HIMSS25 conference in March, the first from an Asian healthcare organization, showcased the digital transformation of Korean healthcare to the world, working as a positive factor in Son’s election to the HIMSS Board of Directors, the hospital said.

“Significantly, our hospital's vision for a world-class smart hospital has been recognized on the global stage,” Professor Son said. “I will continue to strive to sustain the hospital's digital transformation and contribute to global healthcare innovation through international cooperation.”