Dr. Molly Joel Coye, MD - Fierce Women to Watch in Health IT

Who: Dr. Molly Joel Coye, MD

Current position: Founder and CEO, Health Technology Center/President and CEO, CalRHIO

Location: San Francisco, Calif.

Fast facts: Dr. Coye, who founded the Health Technology Center in 2001, has also led two state health departments: first in New Jersey from 1986 to 1990, and then in California from 1991 to 1993. In California, she managed more than 5,000 employees and a budget of more than $16 billion. She also served as a medical investigative officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and chief of the occupational health clinic at San Francisco General Hospital, both in 1980.

Coye also helped found the California Endowment, the state's largest healthcare philanthropy organization.

Why she's so fierce: As a member of the Institute of Medicine, Coye co-authored the landmark reports on patient safety, To Err Is Human (1999) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), which called for sweeping changes to the healthcare system, including through widespread use of technology, including electronic medical records and automated systems. She also co-chaired the Committee on Patient Safety Data Standards and continues to be a leading advocate of health IT as a means of improving the quality of care.