I’m not the first to say, “What a great year!” The emotional roller coaster associated with the pandemic, lockdowns, virus testing, vaccine mandates, remote work and reopening — only to be thwarted by the Omicron variant — A challenge for all of us. But during this turbulent year, our IT and information services across the country have persevered and rose to the challenge to support healthcare.

In addition to the day-to-day activities associated with keeping healthcare facilities running, we have an unexpected responsibility to assist in the pandemic.

Soon, electronic health record modifications were introduced, a customized COVID-19 reporting system was developed, and a human capital management system was customized to support employee vaccine tracking.

While these efforts are being addressed, our desktop, clinical engineering and other entity-specific personnel are on the front lines supporting our clinical users. Throughout all of this, our team has maintained exceptional dedication and perseverance.

These characteristics remain the ones that further differentiate Healthcare IS teams from their counterparts in other industries. Commitment to the healthcare mission and supporting a cause that goes beyond a quarterly dividend or income statement is one of the key differentiators of our resilient workforce.

So what should we do? Recognizing that today’s new normal is anything but normal, I believe we need to continue to focus on those who have brought us to this point, our workforce. Times are changing. For those of us who have been leaders for quite some time, we need to move with the times. Our ability to respond to changing circumstances is nearly impossible without a strong and stable team.

I adjusted my personal leadership style to not only give my leadership team insight and guidance, but also to include more frontline employees who have been particularly hard hit by the changing environment.

Challenges such as virtual education, remote work, illness among family members, and fear of commuting with public transportation are at the top of our minds for each of our employees.

As a leader, I know I have to become more aware of how best to support all members of our team. Ongoing town hall meetings, staff committee forums, in-person/virtual discussions and resource retention interviews all help provide a balanced view of the issues our team members face.

Going forward, it seems to me that the country and the world will continue to grapple with the changing impacts of COVID-19. Despite the development of vaccines and other treatments, the virus appears to be one step ahead of our ability to eliminate it. So our approach is to continue to zero in on the needs of team members.

Where possible, remote work remains viable, broad and consistent communication keeps our employees informed and supported, and giving employees the opportunity to achieve their career goals remains a winning strategy for most of our employees.

Achieving the technological advancements our industry expects would not be possible without a strong and committed team. Areas of opportunity include, but are not limited to, continuing to leverage data analytics to advance patient care and research, enhancing EHR capabilities, supporting hospital and physician practice expansion efforts, further securing computing environments, and using artificial intelligence algorithms to proactively support patient care and operational efficiency.

Global health systems face the challenge of delivering care during the most volatile and unpredictable times our industry has ever known. Frontline clinicians continue to bear the brunt of these challenges and should continue to be recognized for their arduous efforts.

Supporting and supporting these carers is the main responsibility of our Information Services team. A strong IS team provides a strong clinical care service even in the most difficult of situations. I am proud to recognize that my team and many others have risen to the challenge and remain strong through this pandemic.

Mike Restuccia is Penn Medicine’s Chief Information Officer.