Staff & Partners
The N.C. Health Information Exchange Authority’s leadership and operations are carried out by its professional staff and technology partners, in consultation with the Advisory Board made up of health care and IT leaders appointed by the N.C. General Assembly. NC HIEA is housed in the Government Data Analytics Center within the N.C. Department of Information Technology.
Professional Staff
- Christie Burris, Executive Director
- Michael Crist, Assistant Director and Analytics Manager
- Jenell Stewart, Assistant Director
- Tim Taylor, NC*Notify Lead Analyst
- Michelle Hunt, Data Quality and Integrity Team Lead
- Chaitanya Baadkar, Application Systems Analyst
- Sonali Bhadoria, Application Systems Analyst
- Don Branthwaite, Application Systems Specialist
- Karon Casey, NC*Notify Analyst
- Jonas Dusenberry, Application Systems Specialist
- Sasikala Nagarajan, Application Systems Specialist
- Therese Palkovic, Application Systems Specialist
- Pradip Phuyal, ELR Analyst
- Susan Saul, EMPI Analyst
- Brittani Adams, Provider Relations Specialist
- Luke Keeler, Business Development and Outreach Specialist
- Kenya Servia, Business Development and Outreach Specialist
- Kim Webster, Business Development and Outreach Specialist
- Eric Amankwa, Compliance Officer
- Regina Cucurullo, Legal Counsel
- Fred Eaker, Implementation Project Manager
- Jessica Hagins, Media Relations and Communications
Partners
SAS Institute is NC HIEA’s technical partner in delivering NC HealthConnex and operating the NC HIEA Technical Support Help Desk. With headquarters in Cary, N.C., SAS delivers innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services that help customers at more than 80,000 sites make better decisions faster.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services works closely with NC HIEA to support Medicaid and public health efficiencies. NCDHHS serves North Carolinians, especially the most vulnerable – children, elderly, disabled and low-income families – and works closely with health care professionals, community leaders, advocacy groups and local, state and federal entities, along with many other stakeholders. NCDHHS' 30 divisions and offices fall into four broad service areas: health, human services, administration and support. The department also oversees 14 facilities: developmental centers, neuro-medical treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, alcohol and drug abuse treatment centers and two residential programs for children.
InterSystems' HealthShare product drives the NC HealthConnex platform, with J2 Interactive as the integration partner. InterSystems is the engine behind many important applications in health care, finance, government and other sectors. Founded in 1978, InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions in more than 80 countries.
Secure Exchange Solutions powers NC HealthConnex's direct secure messaging, which provides seamless, scalable, secure connectivity across organizational boundaries. SES protects, streamlines and delivers sensitive and critical health care information while ensuring compliance and improving efficiency and quality. Hospitals, health systems, physicians, health plans and channel partners rely on SES for integrated secure communications that expand their reach and improve patient care. SES is a member of DirectTrust, which helps healthcare stakeholders leverage standards-based communications across organizational boundaries.
Through SES, NC HealthConnex is part of DirectTrust, a collaborative nonprofit association of 121 health IT and health care provider organizations that supports the secure, interoperable exchange of health information via Direct message protocols. DirectTrust's trust framework lets health care professionals, IT vendors and patients communicate securely, with identity proofing, regardless of end-user application. With more than 300 electronic and personal health record vendors and 50 health information exchanges, the DirectTrust network enables the exchange of health information among more than half of U.S. health professionals.