This is turning out to be quite the year for Duke Health Technology Solutions. After receiving two awards for individual initiatives earlier this year, ComputerWorld has named Duke Medicine as one of the top 100 information technology (IT) places to work.

The award, now in its 14th year, is based on a national survey of IT professionals covering five broad characteristics of IT departments and their staff members: diversity of the workforce, how well they are trained, opportunities for professional growth, retention of employees and overall benefits.

“The award is a validation of a lot hard work by many people over the past three or four years,” said Asif Ahmad, chief information officer for Duke University Health System and associate dean for academic computing at the Duke School of Medicine. “We have been striving to make sure that IT is not seen as just a support function, but just as critical to excellence in patient care as the doctors and nurses. Without information, doctors and nurses cannot provide the best possible care. Our employees feel like they are as instrumental as anybody else at Duke in providing the best in medical innovation and patient care.”

Earlier this year, ComputerWorld bestowed laureate medals for two different IT initiatives: the creation of a portal through which patients can gain access to their medical records and the development of a platform that allows the three hospitals in the Duke health system, as well as the schools of medicine and nursing, to seamlessly and securely share information.

“I am really proud of the team that has made these awards of recognition possible,” he said. “Because of the dedicated individuals and the spirit of teamwork, I see Duke staying at the leading edge of innovation in health care technology.”