2025 Recognizing Women in IT Health – UCLA (WITH-U)

Women in Tech Health - UCLA (WITH U)
By UCLA Health IT
2 min read

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we are proud to showcase the outstanding contributions of women in technology at UCLA Health. Colleagues, managers, and their teams within UCLA Health have nominated these women for recognition to be spotlighted in the 2025 UC Women Rock IT Article published on the UC IT Blog. 

The below are nominations received at UCLA Health:

Parul Saxena, Manager, Delivery & Quality

Parul Saxena exemplifies excellence in IT leadership, consistently demonstrating her expertise and dedication during critical downtimes, cutovers, and upgrades. Parul's meticulous planning and unwavering commitment ensured a seamless transition, uniting teams, workflows, and patient care. Known for her relentless drive and ability to navigate complex challenges, Parul has been instrumental in the successful transition of the UCLA Health West Valley Medical Center to CareConnect (Epic) from Meditech. Her innovative use of Teams to streamline communication and organization with the use of Lists and Channel posts has significantly enhanced project efficiency. Parul's commitment to continuous learning, coupled with her leadership and teaching abilities, makes her a standout professional in the field. I wholeheartedly nominate Parul Saxena for this recognition.

Joycee Berin, Director of Data Science
Yael Berkovich, Director of Enterprise Architecture 

Joycee and Yael are trailblazers in AI-driven healthcare innovation, leading the initiation, development, and/or deployment of over 50 AI/ML products that enhance operations and patient care at UCLAH. Their visionary leadership has transformed complex AI strategies into scalable solutions, fostering a culture of innovation in a challenging, high-stakes environment. Pioneering these approaches at UCLAH, they stay at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, ensuring the highest standards as we look to apply this complex and changing technology to our healthcare landscape. Through tireless dedication, they navigate organizational complexities, advance inclusivity, and empower women in technology—proving that AI isn't just about algorithms, but about improving lives. 

Melissa A. Ghobrial, Inpatient Lead Principal Trainer

I am honored to nominate Melissa Ghobrial for the 2025 UC Women Rock IT recognition. As a Principal Trainer at UCLA Health, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership in training strategy, content development, and implementation. Her work has improved system adoption, supported major go-lives like West Valley, and ensured smooth transitions with minimal disruption. Melissa champions inclusivity in learning, mentors women in health IT, and fosters collaboration across departments. Her dedication to empowering others and advancing technological initiatives makes her an outstanding candidate for this recognition.

Heather Hitson, Lindsay Brooker, Erin Thomas, and Melissa Kurpinski
Telehealth Team

The Health IT Telehealth team is a small team of 4 highly effective women that have implemented incredible advances in Healthcare delivery including video visits, evisits, econsults, remote patient monitoring, and on demand immediate care (to name a few). The impacts have been significant including improving access to care for patients with mobility or transportation issues and Improving financial efficiencies by expanding service offerings without additional physical overhead. The complicated nature of these new modes of care require each team member to build strong operational partnerships, understand complex billing and compliance requirements, and problem solve quickly.