How to Bridge the Healthcare QA Talent Gaps with Low-Code Software Testing

Doug Simons has been designing and coding software for years, from a spreadsheet program in the early 1980s to a hypermedia authoring system in the 1990s, to the Eggplant software test automation tool in this century. He has also spent countless hours working on the SenseTalk scripting language, gradually growing and refining it into the People-Oriented Programming language today. When not at his computer, he enjoys spending time with his wife Ellen, daughter Elizabeth, and dog Murphy. He also enjoys making music as a piano player and a small madrigal singing group member.

Emily Yan is a product marketing manager at Keysight Technologies. Emily has an undeniable passion for technological innovations. Her product Eggplant is an intelligent test automation platform that empowers healthcare organizations to ensure an exceptional digital experience for patients. Before joining Keysight, she worked on AI and big data marketing campaigns across multiple industries. Emily has an MPA degree from Columbia University and bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in applied mathematics and economics.

David M. Hester “Dave” has consistently produced enviable results over the course of 25+ years in Information Technology, particularly over the course of his last 21 years of EMR implementations. Whether as a consultant or a full-time employee, he has a track record of pushing himself and his teams to produce the best possible product or process for his customers.

Dave marries his drive and technical expertise in his role as an Keysight Technical Consultant. Dave has expertise in clinical testing methodologies and Eggplant products. He provides his clients with both direction and, as needed, practical coding solutions.

Previously, he served as Testing Coordinator for UNC Health Care, a multi-hospital system that in January 2018 became the first hospital to achieve HIMSS Stage 7 under the new 2018 standards. UNC Health Care was also an early adopter of Eggplant automated testing. Dave presented in 2017 and 2018 at the Epic eXpert Group Meeting (XGM) on his work with Eggplant automation of Epic integrated and regression testing.

Prior to joining UNC Health Care, Dave worked as a Senior Consultant first for nine years. During that time, Dave completed patient access/revenue cycle analysis and build for twelve different go-lives while taking on additional duties such as Interim Manager for Reimbursement and Instructional Designer.

Most recently, Dave was iMethods’ Manager of QA & Process Improvement, providing scripting services as an Eggplant partner in the Healthcare sector.

Dave comes to IT by way of six years spent in the US Army as a Signal Interceptor and linguist followed by turns as a regional training manager for CompUSA and Federal COTS trainer for Kajax Engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Old Dominion University with an emphasis on Industrial and Organizational Psychology.