KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 12, 2019

Inspired to pursue a career in healthcare informatics by his parents' passion for nursing and his own love of technology, this week Kennesaw State University student Fortune Onwuzuruike’s hard work earned him one of the healthcare information industry’s most prestigious scholarships.

Onwuzuruike, who is a student in the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics program, received the 2019 Richard P. Covert Scholarship for Management Systems. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society presented him with the $5,000 scholarship at their Global Conference and Exhibition, held Feb. 11-15 in Orlando, Fla.

“It’s a humbling and overwhelming feeling to be selected,” says Onwuzuruike. “I am so grateful to HIMSS for helping me get one step closer to graduation.”

The Richard P. Covert Scholarship is one of four scholarships awarded nationally each year by the HIMSS Foundation. It recognizes exceptional students in graduate or undergraduate academic programs focusing on healthcare management engineering. 

Onwuzuruike, the son of Nigerian immigrants, earned an undergraduate degree in health informatics from Georgia State University in 2017 and began working as an Associate Security Analyst for WellStar Health Systems. The next year he enrolled in the Michael J. Coles College of Business’s MSHMI program with the goal of expanding his potential in the growing field of healthcare information security. Since enrolling in the program, he has been able to leverage the knowledge gained to secure a new job as Information Security Analyst for Piedmont Healthcare.

He says he owes a lot of his success to his parents’ encouragement.

“They came from a third world country and have pushed me to strive for excellence and be the best I can be,” he says

Onwuzuruike’s mother in particular helped him develop an interest in the healthcare industry.

“My mom is a nurse practitioner and she was always pushing her children to learn more about healthcare,” he says. “While I realized that I didn’t want to do direct care, I have always been into technology and computers and I enjoy troubleshooting problems.”

Healthcare information technology was the perfect way for him to combine his admiration for healthcare workers and his interest in computers. As Onwuzuruike approaches his graduation from the MSHMI program this fall, his career goal is to become a “cybersecurity guru” in health IT.

Dr. Sweta Sneha, Director of the MSHMI program, is proud that Onwuzuruike is one of only four healthcare information technology students nationwide to receive a HIMSS Foundation scholarship.

“This is a huge accomplishment that speaks to the quality of the MSHMI program and of its students,” she says.

In addition to the $5,000 prize, Onwuzuruike received complimentary admission to the HIMSS Global Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, featuring 45,000 attendees, 1,300 vendors, and 300 educational sessions. He is excited for the opportunity to learn new things while networking with industry insiders.

An extremely motivated person, Onwuzuruike has mapped out his entire future. While his immediate goal after graduating from the MSHMI program is to secure a management position, he would like to gain additional experience at the executive level before ultimately becoming a health information technology college professor.

“A lot of professors over the years have helped me get where I am today,” he says. “I see it as a way to give back and to pour energy into the future leaders joining me in the field.”

For now, he is grateful to HIMSS for awarding him the Richard P. Covert Scholarship and to the faculty of the MSHMI program for believing in him.

“They’ve all done their part for me,” he says. “Now I have to do mine.”

-Patrick Harbin