Euwana Powell is Moffitt's Manager of IT Portfolio Management. But more than a decade ago, Powell didn't even know she would be working in IT at all. Now Moffitt benefits from her transformative approach to address business needs while prioritizing technology.

Talk about your career path at Moffitt.

I first landed the role of Research Patient Financial Services Specialist. At that time, many of the steps needed to ensure proper billing for clinical trial patients were manual in nature. I knew there had to be a better way, so to improve efficiencies, I took it upon myself to build a relational database to eliminate some of the manual processes.

Almost a year into that role, I had the opportunity to apply for an Administrative Residency. This experience changed the trajectory of my career. One of my last assignments as a resident was working on an IT initiative to implement Moffitt’s first ever enterprise-wide contracts management solution. This was how I ultimately landed in IT as a Project Manager.

Since 2009, I have progressed my career with a series of successes and promotions that have spanned the oversight of application administration, infrastructure operations, and IT portfolio management. To date, I have had nine different positions at Moffitt, seven of those within IT.

Although, I started on the business side with aspirations to eventually become a hospital administrator, my experiences within IT have opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

You have moved up quickly. What growth opportunities have you pursued and why?

I’m not sure I always feel like I’ve moved up quickly. On the other hand, I’m generally always looking for ways to better myself, gain a new set of skills, continue growing, and not remain stagnant. I learned a long while ago that in order to continue to grow as a person I would need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Fortunately, leadership took notice and when opportunities arose, I was often asked to tackle the tough stuff. The key in IT and almost every industry is to never stop learning. IT is an industry that evolves and shifts quickly, so we always have to be on our toes and ready to jump to the next thing. This is what makes IT such an interesting and fulfilling career for me.

Why do you choose to work at Moffitt?

Since technology is integral to better treatment and care of our patients, in addition to facilitating research to ultimately find a cure to cancer, it’s exciting to know that we can help Moffitt reach its goals.

Moffitt’s dedication to our mission to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer resonates with me. Our endless pursuit to put patients first and build hope and courage for those going through some of the worst times is inspiring and a worthy cause.

Cancer has personally impacted me by way of loved ones being diagnosed and recovering, to others eventually dying from this disease. After being with the organization for 14 years, knowing that my daily contributions help Moffitt achieve the mission is why I continue to work here.

How do you and your team apply the Moffitt values in your operations?

I’m currently building a brand-new team within the organization. So, we are definitely applying Moffitt’s values of Drive, Imagination, and Inclusion in our day-to-day operations. IT impacts every aspect of our lives, and now, more than ever, is a considerable factor in the delivery of healthcare and treatment. My new team will help the organization prioritize and make good use of IT resources and initiatives.

We have a diverse team, with varying cultural backgrounds and work experiences. That helps foster the origination of new ideas and approaches to address some of IT’s most fundamental capacity and demand issues. Since we are a new service to the organization, we are permitted to be creative, challenge norms, and establish more intuitive, efficient, and sustainable processes.

Comment on the excitement around scrum and agile, cloud and related topics.

In my opinion, Moffitt has always been a forward thinking organization. That is why we’ve been able to become a top tier cancer center at such a young age. The introduction of scrum and agile is just an extension of Moffitt’s dedication to continuous process improvement to the overall benefit of our patients. The agile approach to implementations allows us to demonstrate value in a quicker turnaround time with the ability to pivot when and where necessary throughout the development process in very close collaboration with our internal customers. These methods also facilitate the management of expectations throughout the process and ensure desired capabilities and requirements are met.

As a healthcare organization, it is important to leverage cloud in a way that ensures the privacy and security of patient information. Therefore, Moffitt has been extremely thoughtful and diligent in the use of Cloud technologies to support only workloads where it makes sense using the highest security protocols to reduce the risks to our patients and the organization as a whole.

How is Moffitt growing as a company along the digital innovation pathway?

Moffitt has made huge strides in recognizing, acknowledging, and investing in our digital expansion as the organization has continued to grow and expand. These improvements resulted in an ability to better collaborate with other organizations with regard to treatment protocols and sharing of research data to help find a cure to this devastating disease.

With plans to open a new inpatient facility in 2023, we have brought together many disciplines throughout the organization to seek new ways of delivering care with technology at the forefront. We’re looking into incorporating cutting edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and have already incorporated Robotic Process Automation (RPA). With the vision and dedication to digital innovation, I see Moffitt as a continued leader in health and cancer care.

Comment on your vision for the future at Moffitt… for both healthcare IT and your personal journey.

My vision for the future at Moffitt is one where technology is one of the first considerations for delivering, enhancing, and optimizing care to our patients. As people have already adjusted to incorporating IT in their daily lives by way of smart phones, tablets, and smart TVs, I would like us to continue to explore the ever-evolving capabilities of technology where it matters most, in the delivery of health care.

As for myself, I would like to continue my journey as a digital healthcare leader and advocate -- Helping the organization see the value of technology and its use in the healthcare industry. Moffitt has afforded me many continued growth opportunities by way of its endless pursuit of excellence and commitment to keeping patients first. As long as I have room to learn, grow, and contribute, I see my journey at Moffitt continuing as well.

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