Meet the Team
Department of Health and Human Services - Health Information and Analysis Programs - Staff
Patrice Nicholes
Bureau Director - Health Information and Analysis Programs
[email protected] | (385) 244-8786
Patrice Nicholes was appointed Director of the Office of Healthcare Statistics in 2024, bringing significant experience in healthcare data and public health informatics. She has served in several roles within the State of Utah, including her work with the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness and the Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIS) as an informaticist. Most recently, she was a research consultant with the Office of Research and Evaluation.
Before joining the Department of Health and Human Services, Nicholes gained valuable experience at the Salt Lake County Environmental Health Department and the University of Utah’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
Nicholes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics with a specialization in Data Science, both from the University of Utah.
Ryan Christenson
Health Care Data Analyst - Analytics Team Lead
Ryan joined the Health Care Information and Analysis/Health Care Statistics program (HIA/HCS) in a research consultant/data analyst role. He performs data quality and reporting for the All Payer Claims Database and the Health Care Facilities Database and helps with process improvement and documentation.
Ryan's education includes a BS in Civil Engineering from BYU, graduate work in Transportation Engineering at Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Utah. Past work experience includes a first career in traffic and transportation engineering, during which he cemented a lifelong love of working with others, learning new skills and designing solutions for complex problems. He picked up presentation, spreadsheet/macro programming, database, XML, Javascript and other skills along the way.
Ryan’s second career has been focused on data, primarily in the healthcare industry, where he has had roles such as reporting analyst, quality assurance engineer, implementation engineer and business analyst. He also taught a SQL course at Ensign College for one semester. Most recently he has been at the Utah Department of Health in a unique position where he worked for the Division of Disease Control and Prevention’s Informatic Program, but was stationed at the Utah Health Information Network (UHIN), a private nonprofit that runs the primary health information exchange for healthcare providers in the state of Utah. This was a wonderful opportunity to get hands-on with a true “big data” environment, learn some valuable new skills such as R, and help his team gain insights about leveraging UHIN’s data to gain insights about several chronic disease conditions in Utah such as diabetes and hypertension.
When he’s not working, Ryan enjoys reading books (especially fantasy/sci fi and biographies), gardening, and family time / games of all sorts (croquet, volleyball, board/card games). He’s married with four children (three at home and one away at college).
Mike Martin
Research Consultant
Mike has been with the Health Care Information and Analysis/Health Care Statistics program (HIA/HCS) since 2002. He currently performs program functions including assistance with compliance as needed, administrative rulemaking, project management, ERISA Opt-In, and helping to coordinate data requests. Mike serves as the HIA/HCS Records Officer and also provides assistance to the Data Use Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Utah Health Data Committee. Mike is recognized as a Certified Public Manager in the State of Utah and is a Great Basin Public Health Scholar.
Mike graduated from the University of Minnesota-Morris with a degree in economics. Afterward, he received an MBA from the University of Phoenix. During his initial years with HIA/HCS, Mike managed several projects evaluating various Medicaid programs, created news releases announcing HDC products, co-authored a set of consumer reports using HDC data, worked as a Legislative Liaison for the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), and served as a part-time staff member for the UDOH Ombudsman Office.
Qing Xiao
Research Consultant
As a research consultant and data analyst, Qing helps maintain and enhance data quality across the All Payer Claims Database (APCD) and the Health Care Facilities (HFD) Database. Her main duties include conducting quality checks on submitted data, assessing the feasibility of data requests, and extracting data in response to approved requests. Additionally, she contributes to data analysis and research initiatives, helping enrich the agency's portfolio and maximize its value to stakeholders.
With an academic background in Sociology and Public Health, Qing has obtained extensive training in statistics, data analysis, and survey design and administration. She has a keen interest in understanding the societal factors that impact health care access, delivery, and community health. With a passion for research and data analytics, Qing assists stakeholders and institutions in exploring the nuanced relationship between human behavior and societal dynamics and examining how data reflects these interactions.
Julie Olson
Administrative Assistant
[email protected] | (801)538-7048
Julie is the Administrative Assistant for Health Care Information & Analytics, supporting that office as well as others in the Division of Data, System, and Evaluation. She formerly served as Executive Assistant for the Utah Medical Education Council for over twenty years before it was merged into the Department of Health & Human Services. Previous state service includes work with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Child Protection Division, and Liability Management in the Utah Department of Human Services.
Julie received a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University and taught school for three years. Her hobbies include playing the piano and spending time with grandchildren.