People and Office

The IHTSDO head office is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the top floor of the recently established IT University of Copenhagen.

The IHTSDO staff is responsible for IHTSDO’s day-to-day management and operations. The staff includes:

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Terminologist
Chief Quality Officer
Chief Technical Architect
Senior Project Manager
Junior Project Manager
Business Manager
Secretary and Administrative Staff

Below we have given a short introduction of ourselves. To contact us, click here.

Chief Executive Officer

Jennifer Zelmer, B.Sc. M.A. Ph.D.

Jennifer Zelmer is CEO of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. Prior to joining IHTSDO, Jennifer led programs related to health information standards and analysis at the Canadian Institute for Health Information and worked with a variety of health, academic, and government organizations in Canada, Australia, Denmark, and India. Ms. Zelmer is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Victoria and has been a member of several health-related advisory committees and boards. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Science and a PhD in Economics.

Chief Terminologist

Kent Spackman, M.D. Ph.D.

Clinical Professor of Pathology, Public Health and Medical Informatics, Oregon Health & Science University

Dr. Spackman has served as the Scientific Director of the SNOMED Project at the College of American Pathologists and has been Chair of the SNOMED International Editorial Board. He is an internationally recognized expert on biomedical knowledge representation. His informatics research has focused on applied artificial intelligence, including machine learning, natural language understanding, and clinical terminology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.

Chief Quality Officer

Jane Millar

IHTSDO’s Chief Quality Officer leads the development, implementation, and maintenance of our quality strategy and framework. Ms. Millar brings a deep understanding of health information standards and associated assurance processes to this role. Prior to joining IHTSDO, she has been Head of Information Standard Services in the National Health Service in England since 2001. In this capacity, Ms. Millar’s area also provides links to the British Standards Institute’s Health Information Standards Committee, thus linking to the work of international standards bodies.

Chief Technical Architect

John Gutai

Mr. Gutai has over 20 years of cross-sector experience in information technology, including government, financial services, telecommunications, and process control in manufacturing. Most recently, he has served as a Chief Architect for Fujitsu Services, primarily defining an enterprise architecture and IT strategy for DVLA, an Agency of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom, to meet the needs of the Agency’s clients and its 6500 staff in more than 40 locations.

Senior Project Manager

Berit Jensen, M.A.

Berit has a master’s degree in Computational Linguistics from the University of Copenhagen. She has been working in the translation business for many years with the main focus on IT terminology.

Junior Project Manager

Christina Nilsson, M.A.

Christina has a M.A. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews.

She works as a Junior Project Manager at the IHTSDO.

Business Manager

Sarah Bagshaw

Sarah comes to IHTSDO from a position as the Terminology Centre’s Programme Manager at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. As she was involved in the formation of IHTSDO and is currently Chair of the Members’ Operational Liaison Forum (MOLF), Sarah is well known to the IHTSDO Community of Practice. Her rich background and experience will be a strong asset to the organization. In her new position with IHTSDO, Sarah will have a central role in the organization’s further development, working closely with other staff, the Community of Practice, and IHTSDO’s other global partners. She will also, of course, be working with MOLF Members to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Executive Secretary

Jayaseeli Liyanage Christiansen, Diploma, Sri Lanka [Secretarial & Administration and Food & Beverage/Banquet (Administration)]

Jayaseeli has many years of professional experience in administration within a variety of fields. She has been working as an administrator to single actors, multiple individuals and whole departments.



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Vision History of IHTSDO Governance and Advisory Harmonization Resources & Guides Collaborative Space IHTSDO Conferences People and Office Articles of Association FAQ	People and Office The IHTSDO head office is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the top floor of the recently established IT University of Copenhagen. The IHTSDO staff is responsible for IHTSDO’s day-to-day management and operations. The staff includes: Chief Executive Officer Chief Terminologist Chief Quality Officer Chief Technical Architect Senior Project Manager Junior Project Manager Business Manager Secretary and Administrative Staff Below we have given a short introduction of ourselves. To contact us, click here. Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Zelmer, B.Sc. M.A. Ph.D. Jennifer Zelmer is CEO of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. Prior to joining IHTSDO, Jennifer led programs related to health information standards and analysis at the Canadian Institute for Health Information and worked with a variety of health, academic, and government organizations in Canada, Australia, Denmark, and India. Ms. Zelmer is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Victoria and has been a member of several health-related advisory committees and boards. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Science and a PhD in Economics. Chief Terminologist Kent Spackman, M.D. Ph.D. Clinical Professor of Pathology, Public Health and Medical Informatics, Oregon Health & Science University Dr. Spackman has served as the Scientific Director of the SNOMED Project at the College of American Pathologists and has been Chair of the SNOMED International Editorial Board. He is an internationally recognized expert on biomedical knowledge representation. His informatics research has focused on applied artificial intelligence, including machine learning, natural language understanding, and clinical terminology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics. Chief Quality Officer Jane Millar IHTSDO’s Chief Quality Officer leads the development, implementation, and maintenance of our quality strategy and framework. Ms. Millar brings a deep understanding of health information standards and associated assurance processes to this role. Prior to joining IHTSDO, she has been Head of Information Standard Services in the National Health Service in England since 2001. In this capacity, Ms. Millar’s area also provides links to the British Standards Institute’s Health Information Standards Committee, thus linking to the work of international standards bodies. Chief Technical Architect John Gutai Mr. Gutai has over 20 years of cross-sector experience in information technology, including government, financial services, telecommunications, and process control in manufacturing. Most recently, he has served as a Chief Architect for Fujitsu Services, primarily defining an enterprise architecture and IT strategy for DVLA, an Agency of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom, to meet the needs of the Agency’s clients and its 6500 staff in more than 40 locations. Senior Project Manager Berit Jensen, M.A. Berit has a master’s degree in Computational Linguistics from the University of Copenhagen. She has been working in the translation business for many years with the main focus on IT terminology. Junior Project Manager Christina Nilsson, M.A. Christina has a M.A. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews. She works as a Junior Project Manager at the IHTSDO. Business Manager Sarah Bagshaw Sarah comes to IHTSDO from a position as the Terminology Centre’s Programme Manager at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. As she was involved in the formation of IHTSDO and is currently Chair of the Members’ Operational Liaison Forum (MOLF), Sarah is well known to the IHTSDO Community of Practice. Her rich background and experience will be a strong asset to the organization. In her new position with IHTSDO, Sarah will have a central role in the organization’s further development, working closely with other staff, the Community of Practice, and IHTSDO’s other global partners. She will also, of course, be working with MOLF Members to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Executive Secretary Jayaseeli Liyanage Christiansen, Diploma, Sri Lanka [Secretarial & Administration and Food & Beverage/Banquet (Administration)] Jayaseeli has many years of professional experience in administration within a variety of fields. She has been working as an administrator to single actors, multiple individuals and whole departments.	IT University of Copenhagen.