By Melinda Battenberg. Working in healthcare information technology for over 20 years has given UC San Diego Health Chief Information Officer (CIO) Joshua Glandorf the strong technical background needed to lead an innovative, forward-thinking health system. To Glandorf, however, the technical acumen for the CIO role is just one part of the equation. He has also worked to create a supportive, people-centric environment that will enable his team to thrive.
Glandorf sees his role as a leader as someone who can break down barriers and help team members realize their abilities.
“I want to understand the whole person, their aspirations, and where they want to go in addition to recognizing their capabilities on the job, which is vital to creating a meaningful workplace.” Glandorf said.
He also recognizes the value in the unique perspectives offered by a diverse team. “We have something to learn from everybody, and I want everyone to have a voice,” he said. “Whether you are a leader or individual contributor, I welcome feedback and have respect for all.”
Glandorf has used his holistic leadership approach since he was appointed interim CIO in October 2021 after Christopher Longhurst, M.D., took on the role of Chief Medical Officer and Chief Digital Officer at UC San Diego Health. He became the permanent CIO in August 2022. Prior to his tenure as CIO, Glandorf was the Senior Director of Information Technology at UC San Diego Health and worked as a leader in the shared Epic instance with UC Irvine, enterprise analytics, the community connect program, and applications.
Early in his career, Glandorf found his niche in architecture and analytics and honed his skills while working for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) vendor Cerner, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Children’s Hospital, and Stanford Children’s Hospital.
“We are improving patient experience and the quality of healthcare we provide by enabling and augmenting it with infrastructure and technology,” Glandorf said. “We’re doing something every day to move the needle, although we may not always see it. We must look back at where we came from over the months and years to recognize how far we have come. It’s easy to get lost in day-to-day projects or initiatives and putting out fires, but we are making a difference continuously.”
One of the key reasons Glandorf enjoys working in healthcare technology is its transformative nature. He cites Dr. Longhurst’s influence in helping him appreciate the power of technology in patient care, and fostering the connection between Information Technology (IT) and its direct impact on the patients we care for.
“Intimately understanding the role IT plays in the care continuum is critical to helping us craft the future vision and direct our innovation efforts,” Glandorf said. “Technology is exciting, rapidly developing, and fast paced. Not a month goes by that I don’t fail to appreciate the technological advancements that are occurring and the opportunities this creates to improve our organization. We’ve been able to help our providers use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to more easily identify sepsis risk and we can use genomic data to chart individualized care paths for patients. Being part of the intersection of research and the application of developing technologies in patient care is exciting.”
Glandorf believes the UC Health System is leading the way in innovation and advancing healthcare technology, a key reason he enjoys working at UC San Diego Health.
About the Author:
Melinda Battenberg
Communications Lead
UC San Diego Health