Dr. Melinda A. Wilkins, professor and director of the health information management and health informatics programs at Arkansas Tech University, has become the first Arkansas resident elected to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Board of Directors.
Wilkins holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Southwestern Oklahoma State University as well as a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Capella University.
She served on the ATU faculty from 1988-2015, and after one year away as vice president for research and education at Administrative Consultant Service LLC, returned to the Arkansas Tech faculty in 2016.
Wilkins is former chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. She has worked in outpatient and inpatient settings as well as in consulting. Wilkins is a recent recipient of the AHIMA Leadership Triumph Award and has served in many volunteer roles at both the national and state level.
According to a news release from the American Health Information Management Association, the AHIMA board is responsible for setting long-term strategy and direction, governing the association’s activities and fulfilling the organization’s fiduciary responsibility. AHIMA represents more than 103,000 health information professionals in the United States and around the world.
Learn more about the ATU health information management and health informatics programs at www.atu.edu/biosciences/him and www.atu.edu/gradcollege/degree-healthinfo.php.