Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA

Biography

Dr. Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA, is a health information management professional, educator, author, and health information advocate with more than 30 years of experience. Her career spans coding, compliance, quality, consulting, operations, and higher education, providing a comprehensive perspective on the evolving role of health information professionals in today’s dynamic healthcare environment. She serves as Program Director for the Health Information Technology program at Illinois Central College.

Dr. Grebner has held leadership and volunteer roles at the regional, state, and national levels, with a focus on strategic leadership, governance, and advocacy. She served as Advocacy Director for the Illinois Health Information Management Association (ILHIMA), where she led statewide legislative efforts aligned with AHIMA’s priorities, advancing policy awareness and strengthening the voice of HI professionals.

A recognized leader in workforce development and professional practice, Dr. Grebner is a published author and presenter state and national conferences. Her work emphasizes emerging HI roles and the future of the profession, including advancing innovative frameworks that expand understanding of HI career pathways. She is committed to mentoring future professionals and positioning the HI workforce to meet evolving demands in data governance, interoperability, and healthcare transformation.

Position Statement

Explain how your professional skills, abilities, and strengths complement the CCHIIM mission?  

I possess over 30 years of experience spanning healthcare operations, coding, compliance, quality, education, and consulting across diverse settings that include acute care, physician office, skilled nursing, home health, and government providers. Following my practitioner experience, I have spent more than 20 years in higher education preparing the next generation of health information professionals. In addition, I have served on workgroups for the AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education focused on competency development and workforce preparation. 

As an educator and Program Director, I work extensively with curriculum alignment, workforce readiness, competency development, and professional identity formation. This experience has strengthened my understanding of the critical role certification plays in validating professional knowledge, supporting public trust, and preparing professionals to adapt within a rapidly changing healthcare environment. I also recognize the importance of ensuring that credentialing frameworks remain responsive to advancements in areas such as data governance, interoperability, analytics, artificial intelligence, privacy, and evolving care delivery models.

From a strategic perspective, my volunteer service on the ILHIMA board has provided experience collaborating across diverse stakeholder groups and supporting initiatives that advance the profession while protecting the integrity and value of HIM credentials. Collectively, my volunteer leadership service along with my practitioner and professor roles have provided broad insight into competencies required for both current and emerging health information roles which directly supports the mission of CCHIIM to assure the competency of professionals practicing health informatics and health information management. 

I would bring a collaborative, future-focused, and profession-centered perspective to the CCHIIM board, with a strong commitment to supporting credential relevance, professional excellence, and workforce sustainability.