LeAnn Bannister
Hello all! I am LeAnn Bannister, a junior at Penn State University majoring in Health Policy and Administration. I currently live in Philadelphia and have worked in fertility and dentistry, where I became passionate about improving healthcare operations and workflows for more efficient and accessible services.
I enjoy optimizing systems in healthcare organizations - seeing how small changes to patient scheduling, data organization, and internal communications create meaningful operational improvements. Effective communication is critical in healthcare administration, especially coordinating clinical teams, patients, and organizational leaders.
Why IST 110? Healthcare is increasingly driven by information technology. From electronic health records to patient portals to data analytics, information science transforms how care is delivered. This course helped me understand the technical foundations behind the systems I hope to improve.
Skills Acquired
Data Visualization
Presenting patient outcome data and operational metrics to healthcare leadership.
Information Ethics
Understanding HIPAA, patient privacy, and ethical use of medical data.
SQL & Databases
Querying electronic health records and patient scheduling systems.
HTML/CSS/JavaScript
Building this portfolio and understanding patient portal technologies.
Python Programming
Analyzing healthcare data and automating administrative tasks.
Computational Thinking
Decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithms, and abstraction applied to healthcare workflows.
Individual Assignments
Discussion Posts
Quiz Scores
| Quiz | Score |
|---|---|
| L01: Introduction to IST | 15/15 |
| L02: History and Basics | 14/15 |
| L03: Computing Concepts | 15/15 |
| L04: Hardware | 15/15 |
| L05: Operating Systems | 15/15 |
| L06: Programming Languages | 15/15 |
| L07: Data Organization | 13/15 |
| L08: Applications | 15/15 |
| L09: The Internet and Web | 14/15 |
| L10: Security | 15/15 |
| L11: Privacy | 14/15 |
| L12: Societal Issues | 10/10 |
| L13: Business Issues | 15/15 |
Course Reflection
My Growth in IST 110
When I began IST 110, I understood healthcare operations from a management perspective but not the information systems powering them. This course gave me foundational understanding of how data moves, how systems are designed, and how technology shapes information sharing.
Three Key Takeaways
1. Information Science Is Everywhere in Healthcare
From electronic health records to scheduling algorithms, information systems determine care efficiency.
2. Ethics and Privacy Are Non-Negotiable
Discussions on data privacy reinforced HIPAA and patient confidentiality principles.
3. Small Technical Changes Create Big Operational Improvements
Just as small scheduling changes reduce wait times, better information organization improves communication across healthcare organizations.
Connecting to Health Policy & Administration
IST 110 prepared me to communicate with IT professionals, understand technical constraints behind patient data systems, and advocate for information solutions that improve operational workflows.
This portfolio represents my first step toward becoming a healthcare administrator who understands both operations and the information systems that support them.