About Us: Accreditation / Faculty
Accreditation
The Health Information Technology (HIT) associate degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Graduates of the HIT program are eligible to apply to write the national examination for certification as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT).
The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate program is approved by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Students who earn the Medical Coding Specialist Certificate will be prepared to write the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) examination offered by AHIMA.
The Cancer Information Management (CIM) associate degree and certificate programs have been accredited by the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). Students who successfully complete the associate degree or certificate program are eligible to apply to write the national examination for certification as a Oncology Data Specialist (ODS).
Say Hello to the HIT/CIM Department Faculty!
Dr. Shirley Jordan Seay PhD, ODS
Shirley Jordan Seay, PhD, ODS is The Cancer Information Management Program Director and faculty. She is an Independent Cancer Program Consultant, and has served as past president of the National Cancer Registrars Association. She is a former Cancer Program Administrator for the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and was a Cancer Center Coordinator and Staff Development Case Manager for Otolaryngology, where her focus was head and neck cancer patients.
Dr. Seay served on the Data Collection Core for the AJCC 8th edition cancer staging manual. She is a speaker on cancer program standards for the Commission on Cancer regarding survivorship, cancer registry operations, and other cancer-related topics. She also addresses topics on HIV/AIDS, parliamentary procedure, leadership, and Ohio nursing law. She was project director for the Cleveland Coalition Educational Program to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening (EPICS).
She graduated from TUI University with a PhD in Healthcare Administration. Her dissertation was titled ”Registered Nurses' Knowledge about and Recognition of Displaced Tracheotomy Tubes in Patients with Unobstructed Upper Airways”. She has Master’s degrees in Education and Nursing Administration and certificates in Cancer Information Management and Electronic Health Records. She is also a Oncology Data Specialist (ODS). She completed Command and General Staff Officer College and retired as a major in the United States Army Reserve. She has served as clinical faculty at Cleveland State University, a local LPN program and Cuyahoga Community College. Dr. Seay belongs to many professional and community based organizations. She actively participates in continuing education application preparation and review for various professional groups. She is actively involved in community education and initiatives geared toward reducing cancer incidence by promoting screening, early detection, and proper treatment. She believes an educated public is the key to reducing the cancer burden now and in the future.
Erik Bailey, Pharm.D.
Adjunct instructor in the HIT and Coding programs at Santa Barbara City College. Erik has been in the field of pharmacology and addiction medicine for almost twenty years, and has held various clinical, hospital and teaching positions. Erik enjoys working in the field of pyschopharmacology and loves teaching. He is an active member of the American Pharmacist's Association (APHA) and the California Pharmacist's Association (CPHA).
Michele Grant, BSH, RHIT
Adjunct instructor in the HIT/Coding Certificate Program. Michele is also a full-time instructor and program director at another community college for their Health Information Technology Program. She has been in the Health Information Management and Coding field for over 30 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management from The University of Cincinnati; and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Technology. She is a Certified ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer and a Registered Health Information Technician. Michele is an active member of the Iowa Health Information Management Association (IaHIMA) having held state positions as a director and educational liaison. She is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Michele received the NISOD teacher of the year award for her development of online classes. She has been an instructor in Health Information Technology (HIT), coding for the past 22 years. She has developed online classes for a wide array of HIT and coding courses. Michele has inpatient and procedural coding experience at inpatient and outpatient facilities. Currently, Michele resides in Iowa.
Lynda L. Hampton, RN, BSN
Lynda Hampton is an adjunct instructor in the HIT program at Santa Barbara City College, where she has taught for over ten years. Lynda has a Bachelor’s Degree from the State University of California at Los Angeles. She is currently a Clinical Document Management Specialist-RN in the HIT Department at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She has worked as an Clinical-RN in several medical center settings throughout the country, all in Critical Care (Cardiology). Lynda has been awarded the CSMC Core Measure Quarterly Award for Record Quality Documentation in recent past. She held her ACLS certification and was a BCLS Instructor at Cedars for many years. She is currently completing the ICD-10 modules for Coding and Documentation and received AHIMA and APCC certificates. Lynda spends time as a Youth Director in her Church. She also enjoys travelling, reading, community service, and 5 K runs for MS and Breast Cancer.
Jeanie Heck, CCS, CPC
Adjunct instructor in the HIT/Medical Coding Specialist certificate program. Ms. Heck graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She has more than 20 years experience in the healthcare field with the majority of this time as a medical coder. She has coding certifications from both AHIMA (CCS) and the AAPC (CPC). She has worked as a Health Information Management (HIM) consultant providing both inpatient coding and audit support.
Her medical coding experience includes inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and same day surgical. She is also an instructor in the HIT department at a local community college near her home in southern New Jersey. Jeanie is an AHIMA approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer and ICD-10 Ambassador. In addition to teaching, she also manages two family practice offices, where her responsibilities include medical coding, medical billing, and accounting.
Carolyn Hemesath, ODS, RHIT, LPN
Adjunct Instructor in Cancer Information Management (CIM) program and teaches Cancer Disease Management and Cancer Registry Management I and II. Licensed Practical Nursing and Associate Degree Health Information Technology (HIT) Northeast Iowa Community College. Carolyn began working as a cancer registrar in 1995 for the State Registry of Iowa and obtained her Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) credentials in 2008. Carolyn is currently employed as a ODS in the cancer center at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Prior to working in the cancer registry field, she worked in Health Information, with experience in transcription, coding and utilization management. She has been an instructor in the CIM program at Scott Community College, Bettendorf, Iowa, and in the HIT program at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa.
Linda Maywood, MSN, CPNP
Instructor in the HIT Program at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) since 2009. She is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP), Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC), and a Lactation Educator. She graduated from UCLA in 1978 with a B.A. in Bacteriology and in 1981 with a B.S. in Nursing. In 1988, she became a CPNP and in 1989, she graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with a M.S. in Nursing (MSN). She has worked in a variety of settings as a nurse. She began her career as a maternity and newborn nursery nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA. After becoming a CPNP, she worked at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in the newborn nursery; on Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's mobile medical van for underserved children; as COACH for Kids and Little Company of Mary Health Services; and on Partners for Healthy Kids' mobile medical van. In 2001, she became the Program Coordinator and Child Care Health Consultant for Healthy Connections at The Children’s Clinic in Long Beach, CA, a First Five LA Grant program. Since 2005, she has worked at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, CA, as the CPNP and Case Manager for the Spina Bifida Clinic. She has won numerous awards, including the Nursing Excellence Award in Clinical Care from Miller Children’s Hospital and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in 2008. In addition, she was a Finalist for the California State NurseWeek 2008 Excellence Award in Clinical Care. She is a member and Fellow of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners (NAPNAP). In every position she has held, she has played the role of teacher and mentor. Now, as adjunct professor for SBCC, she continues to share her knowledge and experience with HIT students.
Arti Parikh-Patel, PhD, MPH
Arti Parikh-Patel is an adjunct instructor in the HIT/CIM program who teaches the Cancer Statistics and Epidemiology course. She is also a Research Scientist at the California Cancer Registry. Her areas of interest in cancer research include racial and socioeconomic disparities in cancer incidence and survival; patterns of care in breast and colorectal cancer patients; and the relationship between cancer and autoimmune disease. Arti received an MPH from San Diego State University, with an emphasis in health education, and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of California, Davis.
Diane Premeau, MBA RHIT RHIA CHP
Diana Premeau is a specialist in Systems Analysis and the development of health information systems and database management. She is also the Director of Health Information Management Services at Santa Clara Valley Hospital and Healthcare System in San Jose, California. She has held positions as Compliance Manager, HIM Administrator, and Privacy Officer at EMQ Youth and Family Services in Campbell, CA. She continues as adjunct faculty at Chabot College, Hayward, California in Health Information Management, and Santa Barbara City College. She is President-elect for the California Health Information Association.
Carla Ruffins, RHIA, CHTS-PW
Earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Records Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1991. She holds the AHIMA credentials of Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and Certified Health Technology Specialist - Practice Workflow (CHTS-PW). Over the past twenty-two years, Carla has held many roles in the HIM field including HIM Director, Facility Privacy Officer, and educator. She is an active member of AHIMA, as well as the Texas and Houston Area Health Information Management Associations. Carla currently teaches at a community college in Houston, Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.
Allison Slade
Adjunct instructor in the Health Information Technology, Health Education and Kinesiology programs at Santa Barbara City College. Allison has been in the field of health, fitness and sports for the past 25 years; she has worked at various colleges as an instructor, administrator and college coach. She has also been a Health and Wellness business owner. She teaches Medical Terminology, Sports Nutrition, Gerontology, and various physical education classes, including Body Boot Camp conditioning and Hiking for Fitness. Her professional career has been in the area of health, fitness and sports. Allison holds a Doctorate of Health Science degree; a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion; and a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. Allison loves teaching and is a certified personal trainer and nutrition educator.
Maxwell Sleiman
Education: Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara - Associate of Science Degree in Health Information Technology; St. Matthews University, Cayman Islands - Medical Doctor; Widner University, Pennsylvania - Master of Science; Georgia Institute of Technology - Bachelor of Science
Courses Taught as Core Adjunct faculty in the College of Letters and Science: Anatomy, Physiology and Microbiology
Active at various hospitals and private companies as a coder and auditor
Professional Licenses: AHIMA Certified Clinical Coding Specialist, (CCS), AHIMA Certified ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer, CFMG Certified
Debra A. Slusarczyk, RHIT
Adjunct instructor in the HIT/Coding Certificate Program. Debra is also a full time instructor at another community college for their HIT/Coding programs. She has been in the field for over 25 years, and has a diversified background. Debra has been teaching in the field both part time and full time for over 12 years. She has worked in a variety of care settings and has performed many functions in the health information management field. She was a Director of HIM and Quality departments for several years in both acute care and rehabilitation settings. Debra worked for the federal government, monitoring both quality of care and reimbursement issues for acute care facilities in the Philadelphia area. She has done private consulting for nursing homes also. Debra has been teaching in the field both part time and full time for over 12 years. She earned her associates and bachelor degrees from Gwynedd Mercy College in Pennsylvania. Debra is a member of AHIMA and component state PA. She also is active in attending the NJ chapter. Debra is also active on several committees with her full time employer. Professional interests are innovation and technology both in HIM and education, and quality service provided in healthcare. Debra is also active in her community and involved with her 2 high school age children.
Shawna Sweeney, MSHI, RHIA, CCS
HIT CIM Department Chair Shawna Sweeney has been in the Health Information Management and Coding field for over 16 years. She has a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics from Dakota State University; a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management from The College of St. Scholastica; and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Technology. She also holds a diploma in Medical Transcription. She is a Certified Coding Specialist and a Registered Health Information Administrator. She was a Registered Health Information Technician for several years before obtaining the RHIA credential. Shawna is an active member of the Iowa Health Information Management Association (IaHIMA) having held state positions. She is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Shawna has been an instructor in Health Information Technology (HIT), coding and electronic health records for the past 7 years. She has developed online classes for medical terminology, legal aspects, quality management, and healthcare reimbursement. Shawna also has many years of industry experience in coding, billing and development of the electronic medical record. Currently, Shawna resides in Iowa.
Donna Thompson, MBA, CISM, RHIT
Instructor for the SBCC HIT program and the Workforce Development Training Program covering the EHR courses. Prior to SBCC, she has instructed many of the HIT courses including medical coding and reimbursement at other major universities. As a HIM Consultant, she provides professional expertise for the advancement of health informatics including computer-assisted-coding (CAC). She has recently completed the ICD10 Coding Training Program through AHIMA and is an official AHIMA Approved ICD10 Coding Trainer.
Lynette M. Williamson, Ed.D, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CPC, FAHIMA
Dr. Williamson is a professor in the HIT and Medical Coding Specialist Certificate program, teaching for the college since 2008. She is an active member of AHIMA and has served on various committees for this organization in volunteer positions. She also has been a member of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Professional areas of interest include ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Research interest includes student engagement and learning preferences specifically for students in online courses.
Mary Wilkinson, MPH, RHIA
Adjunct instructor in the HIT/Coding Program and has been teaching for SBCC since Spring 2004. She currently teaches as adjunct faculty in the Health Care Studies Program for Daemen College in Amherst NY. Mary has also been an instructor at Kirkwood Community College in the Health Science Department in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she taught supervision and management courses. She was previously an instructor and member of the advisory board for Trocaire College, Buffalo, NY. Mary has held management positions in some Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. She has also held various staff positions in the civilian sector. She has volunteered for local and state associations both in Hawaii and Michigan.
Wanda Ziemba, EJD, MFA, BA, RHIT, CCS, CHCC, CHCO, CHC, CPC
Wanda is a Health Information and Compliance Specialist, has been involved in the Healthcare Coding Compliance arena for over 30 years. She is currently a Senior Consultant for Primeau Consulting Group. In this position she provides a variety of services including project management, audit and compliance support.
Previously, she was Coding & Data Integrity Manager and Acting Privacy Officer for the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland. In that position, she was responsible for HIM operations, regulatory report-outs, coding and abstracting, privacy, and physician & staff education. She was also an ICD-10 Project Co-Manager. She has been the Coding Compliance Manager at Washington Hospital, Fremont; Associate Compliance Officer for the UCSF Clinical Enterprise; and Director of the Health Information Program at Chabot College. She has also managed a successful consulting firm and was the CCS Liaison and Professional Fee Advisor for Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute.
Wanda graduated from Concord Law School in December 2010 with an Executive Juris Doctor in Health Law and the prestigious Sue Lane Award for pursuit of academic excellence. She has extensive legal training in healthcare issues including health law, bioethics, malpractice, health policy, auditing and monitoring, and risk assessment. She has also served as a liaison between all management levels and across multiple organizational functions, as well as between healthcare organizations and regulatory bodies. She received her MFA from California College of the Arts and BA from Vassar College.
She currently holds certifications as a Registered Health Information Technician and a Certified Coding Specialist. She is a certified Healthcare Compliance Officer and Consultant, and a Certified Professional Coder. She is also an AHIMA-Certified ICD-10-CM/ICD-10-PCS Instructor. She was a Director on the California Health Information Association Board of Directors and is currently the NCHIA President-Elect. She is the CHIA Seminar Committee Chair and a professional speaker.
HIT/CIM Counseling & Academic Planning:
Gwyer Schuyler, MA, Ph.D
Academic Counselor
(805) 730-4369
schuyler@sbcc.edu