La Communidad
workshops and seminars targeting these doctors in such places as Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; New York; Los Angeles, and Miami.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Infor- mation Technology, widespread use of health IT can make the health-care system more efficient and reduce paperwork for patients and doctors as well as expand access to afford- able care. Patient care benefits, according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Web site, include:
Accurate and complete information about a patient’s health. The ability to better coordinate the care given.
A way to securely share information with patients and their family caregivers over the Internet, for patients who opt for this convenience.
Information to help doctors diagnose health problems sooner, reduce medical errors and provide safer care at lower costs.
Marquez-Leon cautions that this first shift to electronic
medical records is the “tip of the iceberg” and that other IT health advances, such as e-prescriptions and telemedicine, are in the pipeline.
LISTA got its start in 1997 after Marquez-Leon, David Con- treras, Chris Rodriguez, Felipe Alvarez and Carlos Rodriguez attended a conference on technology needs in Africa and realized they needed to band together and identify and attract other Latino IT professionals. They sought to network and to recognize the achievements of their colleagues.
They quickly learned that Latino IT professionals held jobs at such companies as IBM, Northrop Grumman and Lehman Brothers.
“We went from four (members) to 25 to 50. By 2000, we had our first big event,” said Marquez-Leon of the Man of the Year award that the organization launched that year.
Now LISTA boasts 13 chapters with a membership of 3,800, and 65,000 subscribers who attend their events and are part of the group’s online community.
According to its Web site, LISTA’s mission is to “empower Latino technological and scientific engagement, broaden awareness of the impact Latinos are currently having on these sectors, and concurrently representing their overall interest within the digital information age.”
Marquez-Leon said LISTA also spreads the word to young people about the importance of developing a solid academic foundation and the careers that await them in information technology.
“There are so many great jobs coming down the pike and no one knows about it,” said Marquez-Leon who predicts 75,000 new jobs will be created in health IT. He also predicts that most of these career opportunities will not be able to be filled here at home because the workforce will be unprepared.
“If we don’t train our doctors, there will be catastrophic ramifications. We want to make sure we are at the forefront of this change.” —Jose Marquez-Leon
“We need to keep our people working,” he said. “We don’t want to see jobs shipped out.”
To help young IT profes- sionals be better prepared to venture into the health information technology field, the National Latino Alli- ance on Health Information Technology has developed a program to give those inter- ested in the emerging field
hands-on “practical” experience working in a doctor’s office for six months to a year.
LISTA’s efforts go beyond U.S. borders. For several years, the organization has been involved in humanitarian work in the Dominican Republic, assisting a program called Project Dream by providing technology and training teachers in implement- ing technology in the classroom.
Before founding LISTA, Marquez-Leon was chief architect and founder of Hispanics in Information Technology and Telecom- munications, where he brought to light the lack of Latino presence in the IT and telecommunications workforce. He also previously served as vice president of strategic channels for Mi8 Corporation and president of JAM III Communica- tions Group—an e-business solution consulting firm assisting companies with their web strategies, security and wireless communications.
Marquez-Leon has received several achievement awards including Hispanic Trends magazine Technology Trendsetter 2007 and Hispanic Engineer magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics in Technology and Business 2006-2008.
www.hispanicengineer.com HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | 2011 13
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