Cathy Beech,
ISE® North America Project: Healthcare Award Winner 2012
About six years ago, I was invited to an ISE® Private Dinner by my predecessor, Dr. Bryan Cline. At the time, I was a security analyst, and Dr. Cline was committed to providing me opportunities to expand my knowledge of information security. One of the things I clearly remember about that dinner was the passion that the chief information security officers had as they were talking about a lot of the emerging trends, threats and challenges they faced on the day to day.
That introduction to T.E.N. sparked my interest regarding the ISE® Awards. As I followed the program series and looked at the different companies that were submitting nominations, I thought it was a good forum to acknowledge the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) project team’s effort for a project that involved cross functional groups. One thing that really drove the decision to submit a nomination was that I really liked how the ISE® Program focused on acknowledging the contributions in the information security and technology field. I also saw the ISE® Awards as a forum to bring information security professionals together to network and share experiences for establishing and maintaining security programs.
Preparing the nomination together as a project team was really a great experience. The nomination process really challenged the entire team to think about the value we brought to the organization. It wasn’t just “we put a technology in and flipped a switch.” We had to think about how we were impacting process flows through the implementation of a new technology. The project transformed the existing operational model and increased reliability and repeatability of day-to-day processes. We helped the organization to achieve its business objectives of reducing dependency on multiple IS groups. This project aligned with the Hospital’s focus on the Culture of Safety and Call to Action to achieve better outcomes at a lower cost.
When we heard CHOP called as ISE® Northeast Project Winner, we were so excited! I was a little bit surprised because you never really know – the other nominees included excellent projects. It was extra special because two project team members attended the awards ceremony. One thing I learned is that we are here as CISO’s to empower our project teams to help us meet business objectives. This is not something that I can do by myself, so the award went to the entire team and also the other members of the organization. The award acknowledged the dedication and excellence that the members here at CHOP bring to all of our capital projects. I am not the rock star; my team members are the rock stars.
Our whole project team was recognized in front of the entire Information Services department, which was around 500 people. The Hospital’s commitment to information security was not only recognized within the Information Services organization, but also outside of CHOP by our peers. Winning the ISE® Award also helped to show our peers that CHOP has a high level of expertise, and others began reaching out to learn how we achieved our objectives. The ISE® Awards inspire knowledge sharing, spur creativity, enhance networking and really bring everyone together.
ISE® Programs provide great platforms for people to get engaged, but really the amount of information you can bring back to your team and Hospital management is just priceless.
The ISE® Awards are the “Oscars” for information security. It was fun and the wonderful masters of ceremonies really set the tone. It’s an evening to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions that everyone is bringing to their organization to improve information security. CHOP’s information security team is an enabler; it assists clinicians and workforce in satisfying Hospital strategic initiatives. Marci McCarthy and the T.E.N. Team’s professionalism, dedication and commitment to technology and the information security community shines through these amazing events.
As CISOs, we have an obligation to help bring up future information security leaders. If you see that in someone, bring them to an ISE® Private Dinner or ISE® Executive Forum. Someone did that for me and now I am doing it for others. Everyone on my team took something positive away from the ISE® experience. It is a great opportunity to advance your professional career. I highly recommend getting involved with T.E.N. and ISE® Programs. Just submit a nomination. The process alone is worth it.