Ms. Cassandra Rupnik: AUSTRALIA (Western Pacific)
Cassandra, or better known as Cassie, is deeply passionate about advancing the health information management (HIM) profession. With more than three decades of experience, she has built an impressive career spanning clinical classification, revenue cycle management, privacy and confidentiality, workforce development, and data analytics. Cassie has held senior strategic roles across both public and private health systems, contributed as a university lecturer, and provided international expertise in implementing classification and funding systems.
Her professional journey includes presenting at global conferences such as IFHIMA Congresses and PCSI, as well as leading international education sessions and workforce planning initiatives. Serving on the IFHIMA Board reflects her strong commitment to leadership and advocacy within the profession. As the Director of the Western Pacific, Cassie aims to build on the previous foundations by promoting global collaboration through partnerships with National HIM Associations. She is focused on supporting workforce sustainability, particularly by advancing education and upskilling opportunities to meet the growing demands of digital health and data analytics. Recognising the diversity of the Western Pacific Region, she is committed to fostering mentoring and collaboration between regions and countries. Cassie has championed data quality and interoperability, advocating for robust clinical classification systems and accurate health data to support funding, research, and patient care. Cassie’s goal is to help future HIM professionals by fostering innovation, strengthening global cooperation, and ensuring the profession evolves alongside healthcare delivery and technology innovation.
Mujeeb C. Kandy: INDIA (Southeast Asia)
Mujeeb holds a master’s degree in medical Documentation from Mahatma Gandhi University, India, and an MS in Health Information Management from the College of St. Scholastica, USA. He has spent over 25 years working in health information management and healthcare analytics. His background combines health information management, business analytics, healthcare transformation, patient safety, and quality of care. He enjoys connecting these areas to create practical, impactful solutions.
Currently, Mujeeb works in Qatar within the primary healthcare system, where he is involved in implementing centralized health intelligence, HIM operations, clinical coding, and Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) initiatives. His work focuses on enhancing EHR data quality, building analytical models, improving clinical documentation and coding practices, and enabling healthcare leaders to make better decisions through reliable data and reporting. He is particularly interested in how emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, can strengthen healthcare use cases and improve safety and quality of care.
As the IFHIMA Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Mujeeb is committed to strengthening collaboration across member countries and advancing the role of health information professionals in the region. He focuses on capacity building, promoting the use of IFHIMA resources and best practices, and encouraging members to actively engage in IFHIMA initiatives for continuous learning and professional development. He also aims to strengthen IFHIMA membership across the region by increasing awareness and supporting greater participation from both new and established professionals. He is focused on advocating for innovation, supporting HIM professionals across regions, and aligning regional efforts with global priorities in digital health, data governance, and AI in healthcare.
Mercy M. Kahare: Regional Director–KENYA (Africa)
Chief Health Information Officer,
Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital -Kenya,
Mercy Kahara is an accomplished Health Information Management (HIM) professional with over 25 years of progressive leadership experience in health information governance, digital health transformation, health data standards implementation, and health systems strengthening in Africa. Mercy holds a Master of Science in Health Systems Management, a Bachelor of Science in Health Records and Information Management, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Information Management, majoring in cancer data systems.
Mercy is a leader in enterprise-wide health information strategy, digital health innovation, data governance, and interoperability initiatives. She also collaborates on national health data strategy efforts, policies, and the implementation of standards, and has contributed to capacity building for HIM professionals in Kenya and beyond. She is passionate about professional development, advocating for health data quality, standardizing HIM practices, and leading digital health transformation across Africa.
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