HIMSS Virginia Chapter
2026 Data & Analytics Symposium
April 20, 2026
Hotel 24, Staunton, Virginia
10:30 am – 4:00 pm
Join healthcare leaders and innovators as we explore how operational analytics and informatics can drive better patient care and organizational excellence. Healthcare is powered by data—but impact comes from how we use it. Come be among professionals from around the state who are focused on quality improvement, process redesign, and clinical informatics.
KEYNOTE
Ben Pollock, PhD
Associate Professor of Health Services Research
Mayo Clinic
Dr. Benjamin D. Pollock, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., is an associate professor of health services research and the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern scientific director of Mayo Clinic’s Science of Quality Measurement program. His research combines health services research and hospital quality, with a recent focus on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital quality outcomes and hospital ranking and rating methodologies.
He has published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings on Mayo Clinic’s team-based analytic response to predicting COVID-19 hospital census and the effects of the pandemic on patient safety events. His research on COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness among asymptomatic patients during pre-procedural safety screening was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and featured on Good Morning America.
As scientific director of Mayo Clinic’s Science of Quality Measurement program, he led the development of Mayo Clinic’s Quality Data Platform, which provides real-time, risk-adjusted quality performance data and dashboards displaying more than 150 measures used in hospital rankings, ratings, and pay-for-performance programs. The platform serves as a central analytics hub for predictive analytics and signal and trend detection, giving Mayo Clinic insight up to two to five years ahead of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other quality-reporting stakeholders. Users can customize views and performance measures for operational areas across Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Pollock has published more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts on hospital outcomes and quality measurement, including a 2025 publication in JAMA Network Open describing a novel approach to classifying hospitals that are reliably excellent across multiple domains of quality.
Glenn Wasson
Administrator of Analytics and Performance Measurement, UVA Health
Glenn Wasson is a data analytics executive known for building high‑performing, customer‑focused teams that solve complex problems with data. Currently serving as Administrator of Analytics and Performance Measurement at UVA Health, he leads enterprise data operations, analytics, data science, and visualization efforts to improve outcomes for patients, families, and healthcare teams.
Zahid Butt, MD
CEO, Medisolv
Dr. Zahid Butt is a physician executive with more than 30 years of experience in healthcare delivery, quality measurement, and health information technology. Founder and Board member at Medisolv Inc. Dr. Butt has served on Technical Expert Panels charged with the development, implementation, and maintenance of Electronic Clinical Quality Measures for national quality reporting programs. He currently chairs the HIMSS quality and safety taskforce that provides input to the HIMSS Public Affairs Committee and was the recipient of the 2023 HIMSS Change maker – Policy influence award.
We invite healthcare professionals, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and innovators to submit abstracts for presentation at the upcoming Healthcare Data & Analytics Symposium. This event highlights practical, forward‑thinking approaches to using data to improve patient care, operational performance, and strategic decision‑making across the healthcare continuum.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address (but are not limited to):
- Clinical quality and patient safety analytics
- Population health and social determinants of health
- Predictive modeling and machine learning in healthcare
- Workforce analytics and capacity planning
- Revenue cycle and financial performance insights
- Data governance, interoperability, and health information exchange
- Innovative dashboards, visualizations, or reporting strategies
- Case studies demonstrating measurable improvement through data
Submission Guidelines
- Abstracts should be 150–300 words and clearly describe the project’s purpose, methods, results, and impact.
- Include the title, author(s), organization, and contact information.
- Preference will be given to submissions that demonstrate real‑world outcomes, actionable insights, or replicable practices.
Important Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026
- Notification of Acceptance: within 7 days of submission
- Symposium Date: April 20, 2026
Format and prize information for 2026 to come soon!
Awards will include:
improve
improve. People’s Choice
innovate
innovate. People’s Choice
inspire
inspire. People’s Choice
Best Case Study
$1,000 cash award for best student project
Best ‘First Time’ Presenter