IHTSDO: Pressrelease

Jennifer Zelmer appointed CEO of the IHTSDO

Copenhagen, Denmark
The Management Board of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) today announced that Jennifer Zelmer has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisation from February 1st 2008.

Jennifer Zelmer has been working at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) since 1995, most recently as Vice President for Research and Analysis. She also has an adjunct position at the University of Toronto since 2002, where she has been in charge of developing and delivering a graduate course on the strategic use of health information. Prior to joining CIHI, Jennifer worked with a variety of health, academic, and government organizations in Australia, Canada, Denmark and India.

– “We are truly delighted to recruit Jennifer Zelmer as new CEO of our organisation”, says Martin Severs, Chairman of the Management Board of the IHTSDO. “A person with Jennifer’s experience and skills in senior management, economics and research within the health information field is perfect in the role for developing and further strengthen our recently established international organisation.”

Daniel Forslund, board member from Sweden and Chair of the Selection Committee of the Management Board, said that the Selection Committee unanimously selected Zelmer based on her impressive track record of working in an international and political environment, and her extensive experience in successfully leading and motivating teams within a new organisation.

– “Our search for a new CEO has been focused and thorough, and the standard of the applications was exceptional" says Forslund. "A Selection Committee of board members representing all regions was created, consisting of myself, Karen Gibson from Australia, Arne Kverneland from Denmark, Mike Sheridan from Canada and Duncan McNeil as independent expert on Health IT. With support from the recruitment firm Harvey Nash, we established a broad field of candidates and interviewed many highly qualified individuals. Jennifer was our top choice.”

– “I look forward to joining the IHTSDO and to working with partners from around the world to leverage the potential of information to contribute to better health and health care,” says Jennifer Zelmer, new CEO of the IHTSDO starting February 1st 2008.

The IHTSDO is registered as a global not-for-profit association based in Denmark, and is responsible on a global scale for the international release of the terminology SNOMED CT®. The organisation has the overarching goal to improve the health of humankind by owning, distributing, operating and developing suitable health terminology products. The Charter Members of the IHTSDO are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Membership is open to all countries, and there is a provision for sponsored use in developing countries.

About SNOMED CT
SNOMED Clinical Terms® (SNOMED CT®) is a structured healthcare terminology, consisting of more than 300,000 unique medical concepts, which provides the foundation for electronic health records. SNOMED CT is used in more than forty countries and is rapidly becoming the global standard for healthcare terminologies. SNOMED CT was originally created by the College of American Pathologists. SNOMED CT has been created by combining SNOMED RT and a computer based nomenclature and classification known as Clinical Terms Version 3, formerly known as Read Codes Version 3, which was created on behalf of the UK Department of Health and is Crown copyright.



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	Jennifer Zelmer appointed CEO of the IHTSDO Copenhagen, Denmark The Management Board of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) today announced that Jennifer Zelmer has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisation from February 1st 2008. Jennifer Zelmer has been working at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) since 1995, most recently as Vice President for Research and Analysis. She also has an adjunct position at the University of Toronto since 2002, where she has been in charge of developing and delivering a graduate course on the strategic use of health information. Prior to joining CIHI, Jennifer worked with a variety of health, academic, and government organizations in Australia, Canada, Denmark and India. – “We are truly delighted to recruit Jennifer Zelmer as new CEO of our organisation”, says Martin Severs, Chairman of the Management Board of the IHTSDO. “A person with Jennifer’s experience and skills in senior management, economics and research within the health information field is perfect in the role for developing and further strengthen our recently established international organisation.” Daniel Forslund, board member from Sweden and Chair of the Selection Committee of the Management Board, said that the Selection Committee unanimously selected Zelmer based on her impressive track record of working in an international and political environment, and her extensive experience in successfully leading and motivating teams within a new organisation. – “Our search for a new CEO has been focused and thorough, and the standard of the applications was exceptional" says Forslund. "A Selection Committee of board members representing all regions was created, consisting of myself, Karen Gibson from Australia, Arne Kverneland from Denmark, Mike Sheridan from Canada and Duncan McNeil as independent expert on Health IT. With support from the recruitment firm Harvey Nash, we established a broad field of candidates and interviewed many highly qualified individuals. Jennifer was our top choice.” – “I look forward to joining the IHTSDO and to working with partners from around the world to leverage the potential of information to contribute to better health and health care,” says Jennifer Zelmer, new CEO of the IHTSDO starting February 1st 2008. The IHTSDO is registered as a global not-for-profit association based in Denmark, and is responsible on a global scale for the international release of the terminology SNOMED CT®. The organisation has the overarching goal to improve the health of humankind by owning, distributing, operating and developing suitable health terminology products. The Charter Members of the IHTSDO are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Membership is open to all countries, and there is a provision for sponsored use in developing countries. About SNOMED CT SNOMED Clinical Terms® (SNOMED CT®) is a structured healthcare terminology, consisting of more than 300,000 unique medical concepts, which provides the foundation for electronic health records. SNOMED CT is used in more than forty countries and is rapidly becoming the global standard for healthcare terminologies. SNOMED CT was originally created by the College of American Pathologists. SNOMED CT has been created by combining SNOMED RT and a computer based nomenclature and classification known as Clinical Terms Version 3, formerly known as Read Codes Version 3, which was created on behalf of the UK Department of Health and is Crown copyright.