HL7 John Quinn Fellowship Program History

The HL7 Fellows Program was initially created by the HL7 Board in 2010 using principles and criteria recommended by the Recognition and Awards Committee. The award name was updated in 2022 in memory of HL7 founding member John Quinn, who served as the second board chair, long-time chair of the Technical Steering Committee and the first chief technology officer.

Principles & Criteria 

1. The initial selection of Fellows was made on the basis of objective criteria. Fellowship status must not be seen as a result of favoritism or nepotism. Additional fellows will be selected by a vote of the existing members based on merit using the initial objective criteria as a flexible guide as to who should be considered.
2. The target number of original members grandfathered into the Fellowship was targeted to be about 1% of the total membership. It can grow slowly over time but a larger initial number would have reduced the meaningfulness of the Fellowship.
3. The criteria used to select the original Fellows were:
   1. Current membership in HL7 was required. Although Fellowship, once granted, is for life, there are other ways to express appreciation for candidates who are no longer members.
   2. Service as WG co-chair, WG chair, HL7 board member, or some other clear and highly recognized objective indication of peer recognition and significant contribution to HL7 International must have been evident.
   3. Service of 15 years or more (there were many more members of merit, but this line was drawn arbitrarily to limit the number of initial Fellows to objectively meet principle #2) was required.
4. Every effort was made to collect accurate and complete data on every current member of HL7 who could potentially meet these criteria.

Of the approximately 50 individuals considered in this process, 25 members met the criteria described above and were recommended and approved by the HL7 Board for Fellowship Awards. Despite the fact that many candidates who were thought to be worthy of Fellowship did not meet the initial criteria, the Recognition and Awards Committee believes that the selection process was objective and fair. It should be pointed out that not all the current board members and not all the members of the committee were selected. Fortunately, that left many highly qualified members to choose from for the next many years.

HL7 John Quinn Fellowship Award Recipients

View a list of HL7 John Quinn Fellowship Award Recipients