Marcia Wylie, BS, MBA, was named the 2012 Welch Allyn, California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) Professional of the year at the CMIA annual banquet, on January 28 in Brea, CA. In winning this award, Marcia will receive a $1,000 check provided by Welch Allyn, Inc., a custom plaque presented at the CMIA awards banquet, and automatic nomination for the appropriate AAMI award. The stated purpose of this award is to “recognize outstanding professional achievement, contribution to their community, as well as significant contributions to the biomedical community.” Marcia has not only met but exceeded these criteria.
In her nomination she was cited as exemplifying “the meaning of biomedical engineering” and that “she has given many years to the profession through her dedication to learning and her desire to provide excellent customer service to her hospital departments” as well as being a strong supporter of the CMIA.
Marcia is currently the Senior Director of Biomedical Engineering for Scripps Health in San Diego, CA. She was selected for her constant high caliber of commitment and work on behalf of the CMIA. She was one of the founding leaders of the San Diego Chapter. She states “I am proud of my work with the San Diego Chapter of CMIA, watching it grow thanks to many dedicated people.” She has also served as Chairperson for the CMIA State Board of Directors. Upon learning of her selection, she stated: “It is a huge honor to be selected for this award by a group of people I so admire.”
Her interest in Biomedical Engineering started when she attended an open house at USC and toured their biomedical engineering labs. She saw the artificial kidneys they were working on and was hooked. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. After graduation, she worked at the Veterans Administration in their Biomedical Engineering training program.
She then moved on to the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation as a Biomedical Engineer and expanded the department to serve the hospital, and regional clinics. Later, she was promoted to Director of Engineering. She returned to Biomed when Scripps Clinic joined a larger healthcare system and she was chosen as the system-wide Director for Biomedical Engineering and later promoted to Senior Director Biomedical Engineering.
She says “I am fortunate to work with an excellent group of people in Biomedical Engineering and the department enjoys a respected position on the team.” She has expanded growth opportunities for staff by developing clinical system specialist positions, IT and project management training and partnering with clinicians to develop and maintain technology projects.
In addition to her work with the CMIA, she is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), a member of the AAMI Technology Management Council, the Biomedical Advisory Council, American College of Clinical Engineering and the Healthcare Technology Foundation. She is the current secretary of the Healthcare Technology Certification Commission. She has authored many papers and presented at numerous conferences across the country.
She has five children likes to travel, hike and is an avid Irish dancer, and is currently working on
a certificate in healthcare IT.