History
The Health Information Administration program has enjoyed more than 60 years on the IUPUI campus, producing more than 600 alumni who have gone on to establish successful careers in a variety of healthcare settings serving as directors, managers and consultants for electronic patient data and medical records.
The program was founded by Gertrude Gunn, R.R.L., as the Medical Record Administration Program in 1950 – the first program of its kind in the United States to be established within a state university. Although formerly a part of the IU School of Allied Health, the program became a vital component of the IU School of Informatics in 2003 with a strong emphasis on the computing, database and data analysis expertise required of Health Information Administration professionals in the age of the electronic health record.
The McKenzie Ashton Directorship
The McKenzie Ashton Directorship for Health Information Administration is an endowment fund which provides support for the program’s leadership in perpetuity. As our program moves forward in the School of Informatics, we’d like to thank our two esteemed patrons whose gift both honors the past and ensures the future:
Mary McKenzie was director of the Health Information Administration program from 1967 to 1996. She was elected to the office of President of the American Medical Record Association (now Health Information Management Association) in 1973 and was a charter member of that organization’s Assembly on Education. She has also served as a professional consultant and advisor to various Indiana healthcare organizations. Mary currently resides in Indianapolis.
Jan Ashton served as director of the Health Information Administration program from 1996 to 2000. She has authored numerous educational materials on medical coding and has conducted workshops on the subject for healthcare personnel throughout the United States. One of her publications, ICD-9-CM Workbook for Beginning Coders, serves as a text for many health information administration and technology programs. Jan has been an active member in both the American Health Information Management Association and the Indiana Health Information Management Association, who awarded her with their Distinguished Member Award in 1985. Jan currently resides in Indianapolis.
