Victoria D’Orto; Spring 2023 graduate of the Pitt Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program
Victoria D’Orto is a spring 2023 graduate of the Pitt Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program and was an intern with Operation Smile, a non-profit medical service in Norfolk, Virginia. The organization specializes in providing complete care surrounding cleft palate repair for those in low-to-middle-income countries and building the capacity of local health care workers to deliver safe and effective care to their communities. Operation Smile Vice President of Medical Quality Bryan Zimmerman is also a Pitt graduate, and although he did not go through the HI program, he recognizes the importance of working with other Pitt programs and helping students apply their skills.
D’Orto’s MSHI capstone project was completed as part of her internship at Operation Smile. She developed a tool that allows Ethiopian government officials to track the quality and safety of the health care provided for surgical procedures. The tool enables the data to be captured, reviewed and helps to improve results. The Ethiopian Minister of Health was so pleased with D’Orto’s work that it was rolled out to health care facilities across their country. In appreciation for their influential work, D’Orto and the Operation Smile team have been invited to visit Ethiopia with the Minister of Health in June.
Read below for some of her firsthand experiences with Operation Smile and Pitt Health Informatics!
Where was your internship located and who did you work with?
“Operation Smile was entirely remote. I worked with the Medical Quality Team, which consisted of Vice President Bryan Zimmerman, Julian Torres and Biju Abraham.”
Why did you choose to work in quality management?
“Quality management is often overlooked but plays an extremely pivotal role within health care. We set standards and help the organization improve its outcomes in surgery. One example is comparing data on when medical staff are accidentally stuck by needles. The goal was to find ways to help prevent this, such as making sure a sharps (disposable) container was readily accessible and educating on disposable needles.”
What impact did your work at Operation Smile have on health care consumers?
“Through the help of my coworkers at Operation Smile, we created a functional piece of software used at the government level in another country. The item allows government officials to track the quality and safety of the health care provided. It will enable the data to be captured, reviewed and help them make improvements in real-time.”
What was the most helpful skill you learned from the Pitt HI program?
“The analytics and coding were a huge help from classes taught by Assistant Professor Yanshan Wang and Associate Professor and Program Director Leming Zhou. They gave me a strong base and I felt confident going into the project. Additionally, each class added a bit of something I was able to bring with me. These included building and using visualization tools, ways to store the data, project management and costs associated with the project.”
What was one surprising skill you learned during your internship?
“I learned communication skills. I was fortunate to land on the Medical Quality Team. They were all excellent communicators that were open, honest and kind with their feedback to help me improve my skills.”
What’s the best piece of advice that you would give to students pursuing a career in health informatics?
“Remain open-minded and do not allow yourself to be pigeonholed into the idea that HI is just about the data. Operation Smile allowed me to see the impact of the work provided by the Medical Quality Team.”
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Published June 1, 2023