"I love the solidarity within the SURF cooperative"
Paul Hillman: man on a mission
Paul Hillman is CIO of the MUMC+. Until a year ago, he regularly walked around in the uniform of the US Air Force. Two completely different worlds with one important similarity, according to Paul: a mission focused mindset. "IT is not important, what matters to me is the people," he says.
“I’m not very good at choosing,” Paul says with a chuckle, explaining his surprising career path. “I always liked law, science and computers.” He studied law with a Master’s in Business Information Systems, then joined the United States Air Force as a prosecutor and criminal defence lawyer.
Paul Hillman
He married a Dutch woman, and together they moved to the Netherlands in 1995. “I didn’t want to go back to school to study Dutch law, so I switched to IT.” Paul worked as an IT consultant, often for educational institutions, and since 2008 he has held the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) at, successively, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, and – for the past five years – the Maastricht University Medical Centre.
Military operations
At the same time, Paul continued to serve as a reserve colonel in the United States Air Force. For about six weeks each year, he had to report to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for training or to advise on military operations, or he would be deployed on a mission in another country. "The boards of the institutions where I worked were understanding. They didn't always like it, but it was my duty and for that they gave me space. I am very grateful for that. Often, people didn’t even notice I was away, because they could call me and I joined meetings online. I did my best to make sure it was not disruptive to the organisation and apparently that worked out well, because no one ever complained."
Peace and democracy
Currently, the changing relationship between Europe and the United States is a hot topic. How is this for Paul? "Um, I always steer clear of political discussions. As a military officer, I was in an executive role. It was my duty to protect civilians, our values and the Constitution of the United States. But let me say that my retirement from the Air Force last year, when I turned 60, came at a good time. I spent 33 years fighting for peace and democracy, I felt it was important to help and protect people. I am quite idealistic about that. I want my son and daughter, who are now adults, to be able to enjoy the same freedom I had."
Colleagues know that Paul always has jellybeans, that his mother sends from America.
Solidarity
Back to the world of education and research: can the SURF cooperative learn anything from the military? "It is a very different world, but what they have in common is being mission-driven. SURF is constantly asking the same question: how can we support education and research? So the cooperative has nothing to learn from the army: the sector is mature thanks to the cooperative. That sense of collectivity, of solidarity, is something I really admire. I wish it were as tangible in the healthcare sector."
"I am convinced that patients are suffering because data is not being shared. Too many tests, wrong drugs - there are a thousand things that can go wrong."
Open data
As CIO of the MUMC+, Paul is a strong advocate for open data. "If you go to a dermatologist now and then to an orthopaedist, you start from scratch again. Because you have to answer all the questions again: do you have allergies, are you taking medication? The information is in the system, but not available to the doctor. Every transition is a break in the information chain."
"I think we need to move away from that. The information belongs to the patient, but I am convinced there are patients suffering because data is not being shared. Too many examinations, wrong drugs - there are a thousand things that can go wrong. The legislation needs to be modernised. Of course, the data should not be open and exposed on the internet, and the patient has to give consent, but the possibility should be there to access the data at the right time and place."
"If you understand what people do in the workplace and what they need, IT will come naturally"
Making leaps
At the umc, Paul still has a few years ahead of him as head of IT: enough for one last mission. "When I retire, I want to have laid a solid foundation for innovative technological leaps. I hope by then we will have made a leap with AI in healthcare. I also hope our internal infrastructure will be so stable that people will say: this is a modern environment where I can work effectively. MUMC+ is also responsible for the region, so hopefully I can help GPs and home care to modernise as well."
"To CIOs who are only concerned with technology, I say: open your eyes, get out of your room and take a walk with your people in the workplace."
"Money and IT are not important, for me it's about helping people: helping staff work more effectively, helping patients to heal, and the students to achieve their goals in life. That’s what it’s all for. What people do at MUMC+ is cool; I'm grateful to be able to contribute to that."
"So to CIOs who are only concerned with technology, I would say: open your eyes, get out of your room and take a walk with your people in the workplace. If you understand what they do there and what they need, IT will come naturally."
Text: Josje Spinhoven
Photos: The Beeldredaktie / Marcel van Hoorn