Colin Hung (@Colin_Hung) is a marketing executive at Stericycle Communications Solutions in Toronto and the founder of the popular #hcldr Tweetchat.  

But Hung majored in mechanical engineering and as a student earned accolades for using 3D machine design.

Healthcare IT News asked him to share something his social media followers likely don’t know, what his personal pet peeves are and, of course, what he’s most looking forward to at HIMSS17.

Q: What is something your social media followers do not know about you?
A: I graduated university with a degree in mechanical engineering. I loved my engineering classes. My favorite course was 3D machine design, which was cutting-edge at the time. For my final project I built a virtual version of an 1875 steam locomotive using the original manufacturer specifications. To earn extra credit, I animated the locomotive – making all the gears work, pistons move and wheel rotate. My design ended up being featured by the company that built the 3D modelling software. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of those piston-gear assemblies.

Q: What issues are top-of-mind for your social media followers?
A: One of the underlying themes on our weekly #hcldr tweetchat is how patient expectations are changing. As consumers, we have full access to our financial records, we can make restaurant reservations online, we can get our questions answered via text/chat and we can do all of this on our phones. These consumer expectations are now bleeding into healthcare. Patients want to interact with healthcare professionals outside office hours in a non face-to-face manner. Patients want to be able to research their conditions armed with their own health records. Consumerism in healthcare is a topic of great interest.

Q: Who's your favorite healthcare hero? Why?
A: There are so many amazing people in healthcare that I consider heroes, but if I had to pick just one it would be Regina Holliday @ReginaHolliday. I have never met anyone who is as fearless as Regina. She continues to push when everyone else has given up and she is never daunted by a challenge. Regina has boundless energy and creativity which she channels into doing great works for all the communities she belongs to – Healthcare, HealthIT, women in healthcare, e-patients and even the town where she lives. #TheWalkingGallery is a truly remarkable grassroots movement started by Regina. It serves not only as a platform for advocacy and discussion but is also a thread that binds a diverse set of people together into a single powerful tribe. On a more personal level, Regina was one of my first connections on social media. Much of what I do today is because she encouraged me to speak up and get more involved.

Q: What's your pet peeve? (Either on- or off-line?)
A: My pet peeve is something that happens a lot at HIMSS and other conferences – vendor cattle calls on social media. Every year, I’m inundated with vendors who tweet, post and Instagram useless requests to "stop by an see us at booth X." These cattle calls are a complete waste of electrons. It's the equivalent of having an employee stand in the middle of the conference hallway and yell out the company name and booth number at random intervals. Social media is about connecting, not broadcasting. It’s about sharing knowledge and adding to the conversation, not spamming it. As a health IT marketer I learned my lesson long ago. Please stop. It doesn’t work.

Q: That said, what are you most looking forward to at HIMSS17?
A: Every year at HIMSS I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new people. HIMSS is the perfect venue to meet tweeters, bloggers, reporters and other industry insiders that you interact with online. I am also looking forward to walking through the exhibit hall. There’s no better way to find out where the health IT industry is focused than seeing what vendors are highlighting in their booths. Last year it was all about EHR optimization, partner ecosystems and interoperability. I’m excited to see what will emerge at HIMSS17. 

HIMSS17 runs from Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center.

This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.