HIMSS Oregon Annual Conference 2025

This year’s event puts the spotlight on people — the professionals, leaders, and innovators driving healthcare IT forward in a time of rapid change.

Explore the evolving landscape of healthcare technology, with sessions on AI, interoperability, workforce challenges, digital transformation, and more. Hear from expert speakers, connect with peers, and gain insights to help you lead in the future of health IT.

2025 Annual Conference Agenda (PDF)

Keynotes

Spiders, Chollima, and Catfish, Oh My! (Your New Employee Told You a Lie)

Drex DeFord President, Cyber/Risk @ThisWeekHealth & 229Project

Drex is a “Recovering-CIO” with an extensive healthcare executive background, including CIO roles at Steward Healthcare; Seattle Children's Health System and Research Institute; and Scripps Health in San Diego. Prior to that, he spent 20 years in the US Air Force, where he served as a regional CIO, medical center CIO, and Chief Technology Officer for the USAF Health System's World-Wide Operations in Washington DC.

More recently he spent several years as an independent consultant working with health systems, payers, associations, vendors, and investors, working on healthcare's toughest problems. Many of his clients were cybersecurity industry leading product and service companies; in 2021 he took the role as Chief Healthcare Strategist at CrowdStrike.

In 2024, he joined This Week Health as President for Cybersecurity and Risk, where he hosts “UnHack-the-News”, “UnHack-the-Podcast”, and a twice-weekly show called the “2-Minute-Drill”. You’ll most likely to find him on the road now, hosting events in cities across the US, and helping transform healthcare – one connection at a time.

No Maps, Only Compasses: Navigating Health IT with Human Wisdom

Joy Rios Founder & CEO, Like a Girl Media

Joy Rios is a health IT advocate, educator, and thought leader with over 15 years of experience empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in healthcare technology. As the host of the HIT Like a Girl Podcast, she amplifies the voices of women in health IT, offering inspiration, mentorship, and practical advice for career growth. Through her podcast and her work developing online learning curricula, Joy has helped countless individuals launch and advance their careers in health IT, fostering a more inclusive workforce.

A five-time author on value-based care, Joy has deep expertise in helping healthcare organizations leverage data to improve outcomes, optimize Medicare reimbursement, and succeed in programs like MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System). For nearly a decade, she led a national consulting team that supported thousands of independent practices in navigating regulatory changes, improving MIPS scores, and protecting their financial stability – all while enabling clinicians to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.

Known for simplifying complex topics and driving meaningful change, Joy is a trusted voice in health IT.

General Session

Enhancing Intuition for Effective Prompt Design in Healthcare Applications

Steven Bedrick Associate Professor, Oregon Health & Science University

Learn how prompt engineering in healthcare can help with diagnostic assistance, clinical documentation, personalized care and help facilitate more effective patient communication.