Each year, the American Medical Informatics Association recognizes an individual for their contributions throughout their career to the field of nursing informatics. In 2005, the initial Virginia K. Saba Nursing Informatics Leadership Award was established and awarded to Dr Saba to recognize her exemplary principles and practices as well as her significant career contributions to the field of nursing informatics. Each year since 2005, this award honors an individual for innovative and exemplary work in the field of nursing informatics resulting in significant development and sustained contribution to advance the discipline of nursing informatics.
At the American Medical Informatics Association 2022 Annual Symposium in Washington, DC, Dr Patricia Hinton Walker was presented with the Virginia K. Saba Informatics Award. Dr Hinton Walker is a recognized leader in applying informatics across practice, education, and research domains. She served as a key leader in the multi-year formation of the TIGER Initiative (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform). As a pioneer and leader in nursing informatics, Dr Hinton Walker has held leadership roles in private and federal settings. She served as one of the early founders of community-based nursing centers focused on measuring outcomes in community-based care. In the education domain, Dr Hinton Walker has served as a University Dean in state, private, and federal settings. Within the Department of Defense, Dr Hinton Walker held the role of University Vice President.
Dr Hinton Walker is widely published in nursing and interdisciplinary journals and has served as an associate editor and peer reviewer of national journals. With interest in mobile health, she has authored content on citizen science to address diversity and equity issues in healthcare. Sharing her expertise broadly, Dr Hinton Walker has consulted on both national and international levels. She lectures on topics such as health informatics; the use of technology in education, practice, and research; health and wellness coaching; and leadership and cultural change in healthcare and education.1 Dr Hinton Walker's work has had a global footprint. Through her work, she has provided consultation in schools, universities, and healthcare settings across the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taipei.2
As an active professional community member, Dr Hinton Walker is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and has served as a board member and past chair of the Informatics Expert Panel. Additional organizational participation and contributions include the National Academies of Practice, the Friends of the National Institutes of Nursing Research, the National League for Nursing Foundation, and the American Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Working Group policy committee.
A professional coach and trainer, Dr Hinton Walker teaches psychology-related coaching courses. She is the Owner/Director of Coaching Stepping Stones, certified in health and wellness, social-emotional intelligence coaching, executive coaching, and body-centered coaching. Dr Hinton Walker has combined her knowledge and expertise in healthcare and healthcare technology with a love for coaching and consulting, expanding the benefit of her contributions to advancing the discipline of nursing informatics focused on mobile health.
Congratulations to Dr Patricia Hinton Walker!
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