Front and Center: Cory Steed

Published on Monday, March 3, 2025

By: Danny Barrett Jr., dlbarrett@umc.edu

Cory Steed is like his ‘80s kid peers who still remember the thrill of getting their first computer. 

“My mom purchased me an old Commodore 128 device when I was a younger boy, and I remember taking it apart to rebuild it again,” Steed said. “I’ve always been drawn to problem-solving and helping others with using technology.” 

Steed, 48, a Rolling Fork native, credits his working with the clunky keyboards and electric-blue startup screens of old for fostering a love for technical work and, eventually, an IT career. 

“I remember being fascinated by how systems worked and how small changes could make a big impact to so many,” he said.  

This past month, Steed, a field support manager for clinical health care, was part of several teams of people in the Division of Information Systems who worked quickly but efficiently to get all office equipment and medical devices at Colony Park South up to speed and connected to the Medical Center’s network.  

In February, physicians and specialists began seeing patients in 20 specialty clinics at the expansive, three-story facility off I-55 in Ridgeland. Colony Park South also offers comprehensive medical laboratory services and advanced imaging options. Steed’s crew of 15 field support specialists worked to get hardware troubleshot and properly configured – which, for example, is when a print job goes to the correct printer at the appropriate time – in time for the first patient appointments to come off without a hitch.  

It wasn’t the first time the 21-year DIS employee had to hook up not just a few workstations, but an entire building of them. 

“We did the move into current School of Medicine building back in 2017,” Steed said. “Back then, our challenge was setting up imaging devices and other equipment that at the time was a little older. It took a long time to get them configured.”  

For the recent move to Colony Park South, he said, nearly all the equipment employees use is newer and faster, from the desktop computers that check patients in for their appointments to vital machines that will power the new cast room and perform CT scans and X-rays on the bottom floor.  

“We’d already begun switching over to Windows 11 with our operating platform, which is newer and has faster processing speeds. It loads well with Epic and other common patient-care software we use. All of that integration makes everything work faster for those of us here working in the field.” 

The smooth transition of technology from one place to another took just three days in January, he said, and is part of starting customer service at Colony Park South out on the right foot. 

“It’s been among our clients’ biggest complaints – things like their hospital-related apps loading slowly,” Steed said. “Working with newer hardware makes things roll faster and have better response times between patients and their doctors.”  

An array of daunting technical hurdles were cleared with relative ease during the short turnaround, said Kevin Yearick, chief information officer.  

“The coordination required to move so many clinics in such a short period of time was complex,” Yearick said. “Our networking team put into place a different badge access than we have been used to and had some hiccups with a new printing technique in Epic. I’m so proud of the field support team making all of it happen while being flexible with our caregivers.”  

This past week, Steed and other colleagues and employees in field support prepared equipment in the labs in radiology and orthopaedics.  

“I’ve worked with him 10 years now and I’m proud of him,” said fellow field support manager Marcella Fleming. “We work like pros together. Each time technology changed, we’ve always been here to adapt to it.”  

As with those who work directly with patients, Steed, too, sees a payoff from his work when it comes to helping people.  

“Putting IT solutions into place that make an impact to so many has been some of my proudest accomplishments,” he said. “I take pride in a collaborative environment where my team can innovate and solve complex challenges. None of it is ever possible without my team, and I’m greatly appreciative for their hard work and support.”