Valerie J. M. Watzlaf
Valerie J. M. Watzlaf, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA, is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Information Management (HIM) at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS), where she has shaped the field of HIM for over 45 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Records Administration, a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology, all from the University of Pittsburgh. A prolific scholar, Dr. Watzlaf has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 100 professional presentations spanning telehealth, classification systems, health data analytics, epidemiology, and curriculum development. She is co-editor of Health Informatics Research Methods: Principles and Practice, a text recognized by Doody Enterprises as a Core Title in Health Information Management.
Dr. Watzlaf has held prominent leadership roles at the national level, most notably serving as elected President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in 2019. Dr. Watzlaf has been a leading voice in the adoption and evaluation of clinical classification systems throughout her career, conducting research on ICD-10-CM coding productivity, documentation specificity, and public health reporting effectiveness. She has previously served on the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) and contributed significantly to national efforts guiding ICD-11 education for U.S. health information stakeholders.
Among her many honors, Dr. Watzlaf has received the AHIMA Distinguished Member Award (2025), the AHIMA Triumph Award in Research, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh's SHRS, and the Distinguished Member Award from the Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association. A dedicated mentor and educator, she has chaired or served on dozens of thesis and dissertation committees and continues to contribute to the advancement of HIM education, research, and policy at the national and international levels.
