Christina Thielst

A former hospital administrator with a passion for improving healthcare!

Christina Thielst is a hospital administrator (former), consultant, educator, and author who has experienced the evolution of healthcare over the last 35 years. Her passion has always been to improve the delivery of healthcare, so patients could get the best care possible. She did this by addressing administrative, operational, clinical and governance systems and identifying effective strategies and solutions to the challenges faced in a shifting healthcare environment.

Christina's expertise includes the fields of safety and health information technology and exchange. This lead to her reflection upon her firsthand experience with the challenges and barriers to effective communication and collaboration; and shaped her vision for applications of innovative tools across the care continuuim.

Since 2005, she has been using her voice by blogging at Christina's Considerations -- which was added to the National Library of Medicine's Archive and Collection of Public Health and Medicine Blogs in 2013. Christina has also written three books and numerous articles, prepared courses to educate fellow administrators, spoken to audiences who find value in her perspectives and participated in several professional workgroups. These contributions to the development of her profession and peers have earned her the "Spirit of HIMSS" award (2007) and ACHE Distinguished Service Award (2009, 2012). In 2011, she was named a Top Social Media Voice for the HIT Industry by Health Data Management magazine.

Christina received a Bachelors degree in Social Science/Management from Louisiana State University and a Masters of Health Administration from Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She has additional training from Boston College in Workplace Effectiveness and is a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer. She is also a Life Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of Health Care Executives of Southern California.

In 2017, Christina was stricken with Guillian Barre Syndrome a week after having flu-like symptoms. The paralysis was dwarfed by the unknown of not having an accurate diagnosis. Practicing what she had always preached to patients, she advocated for herself and several months later received the diagnosis that made treatment possible. While she has improved, her new insight has lead to her creation of an online shop for individuals who are living their lives in spite of the challenges and functional limitations they face.

Christina Beach Thielst is certified by the State of California as a small woman-owned business.

For fun, Christina travels and enjoys nature with her family, rehabilitates a property in Bryson, CA and gardens to stay active.