Get to know our new coworker through her answers to fun and goofy questions.
And keep reading for a special ‘throwback’!
Nancy Zimmerman, Executive in Residence, Digital Solutions and Translational Sciences
Are you a Pittsburgh local or did you grow up elsewhere? I grew up in Connecticut and currently live outside of Princeton, NJ.
Do you have any kids? Any pets? I have four kids – Brady (21), Ryan (19), Garrett (15) and Ella (15). We have two horses and a dog.
Do you have an unusual talent or hobby? I’m a pretty good slalom water-skier.
What makes you a geek (if you consider yourself one)? I love crosswords and do the NYT crossword puzzle every day.
‘Throwback’ fun facts!
Pam Lougheed, Product Manager – MyUPMC
How did you get into the industry? My entry into health care IT was in 2002 as a technical writer and analyst for Askesis Development Group, a Chicago startup that built an EHR specifically for behavioral health care. I joined in Pittsburgh, shortly after UPMC bought Askesis and moved it here. I had just completed my PhD and decided to jump off the academic ship in search of a more adventurous career. I found the challenges of building an EHR to meet the needs of underfunded behavioral health care providers to be just the ticket.
How long have you been working at UPMCE? I joined UPMCE in 2012, when it was still called The Technology Development Center. I had one or two smaller project assignments before I was assigned to MyUPMC near the end of that year. In 2015, the MyUPMC team was hauled out of UPMCE and relaunched within the Physician Services Division. We were brought back to UPMCE a couple of years ago.
What’s changed the most since you started here? As the previous answer may suggest, the faces of colleagues, both peers and leadership, have changed a lot since I joined the TDC and MyUPMC. Interestingly, what hasn’t changed is the vision of making MyUPMC the digital front door to UPMC for patients. Instead, I would say what’s changed the most is the shared knowledge of what it takes to realize that vision. More people at UPMC now better understand just how frickin’ hard it is to bring health care systems (technical, operational, and clinical) into the brave new world of digitally centered consumers.
Thinking about your work, what is the funniest thing you used to use tech-wise that you don’t use anymore? I used to be tied to my desk and tower PC to do my job. “Working from home” was an ironic way of saying you’re taking the day off. Today we say WFH. My, how times have changed.
As technology has evolved throughout the years, what stands out to you the most? I’m most struck by how fast technology and associated cultural habits develop relative to our critical understanding of them. As a culture, we seem to adopt eagerly and then later evaluate the consequences. I’m no different. I’m very excited to contribute to extending interoperability to patients so they can manage their own health via the latest devices and apps, even though I know darn well there will be unintended consequences, some of which may ultimately prove to be bad.
What’s your favorite part about working here? I love the support for constructive disruption. It doesn’t always go well, but when we’re open to questioning assumptions and thinking through new possibilities, we almost always deliver something better than what was first envisioned.
Do you have an unusual talent or hobby? I’m learning celestial navigation for sailing. It’s still a little mysterious to me, since it’s really only applicable when at sea. I’ve only been able to practice it using a device called an artificial horizon. You put a little water in it, set it somewhere flat and exposed to sun (a parking lot works well), and hope no one runs over it before you get your reading. I expect it will be more fun when done on a boat at night.
