July 2021
Anyone can claim the title of trailblazer, innovator, or a person who charts a new path through unknown territory for others to follow. For so many of us, we wait for paths to be discovered, for someone to lead us into the unknown beyond the horizon. But for others, they move forward, make the unknown known, and then turn back to bring others along with them.
William (Bill) Majurski was a true trailblazer, represented by the actions he took each day on behalf of his colleagues, the nation, and the global
industry. He was a transformative leader in the halls of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He was a respected colleague among his fellow peers, volunteering his expertise, energy, and spirit to achieve the vision of IHE International – enable seamless and secure access to health information that is usable whenever and wherever needed. Bill’s journeys, the miles he hiked, the country he explored, alone and with his family, from the seat of his bike will now live on in the vision of others since his passing in November of 2020.
Bill was a pioneer who applied knowledge and foresight to software tool development, conformance testing, and interoperability. He was a leader that forged new pathways to enable correct, accurate, efficient, secure, and economical exchange of health information. Bill served 40 plus years in public service, including his role in the NIST Software and Systems Division, Software Interoperability Group as the Project Lead and primary software conformance tool designer and developer of document exchange centric protocols. It was there, that Bill earned a reputation as the “go-to guy” for his design and implementation expertise. Bill was also a trusted colleague and leader in the international testing community and helped advance the implementation of IHE integration profiles focused on cross-document and cross-community exchange methodologies. Bill’s body of work continues to be used by thousands of users and companies, including at IHE Connectathons in North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea.
Bill was a cornerstone, key participant, and respected leader amongst the IHE community. In honor of Bill’s memory, IHE USA has renamed its Interoperability Research Award Program as the Bill Majurski Interoperability Research Award Program so others that follow on the path he blazed will follow his lead and work to improve health information exchange. Since 2007, IHE USA has provided scholarship awards to support entrepreneurs, researchers, public health agencies, and health system developers that seek to participate in the IHE North American (NA) Connectathon. Future recipients of the Bill Majurski Interoperability Research Award will receive similar funding to cover their participation fees. Through this renamed program, we commit to honoring Bill’s memory and his numerous contributions to IHE.
Applicants interested in participating in the IHE North American Connectathon 2022 are encouraged to learn more and apply for the Bill Majurski Interoperability Research Award by October 15, 2021 at https://www.iheusa.org or at https://bit.ly/2LhzgfU
Sincerely,
Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN-BC, FHIMSS, FAAN President, IHE USA