HHS Names New ONC Chief

12-20-2013

​Karen DeSalvo, MD, will take over national coordinator for health information technology,HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Thursday, December 19, 2013. DeSalvo is the health commissioner for the City of New Orleans and is experienced in healthcare and Health IT. “Some of you know her through her work with the Crescent City Beacon Community in New Orleans, one of our national leaders in applying health IT to creatively solve challenging problems in care delivery,” Sebelius wrote in a letter to ONC staff.

"During her tenure, Dr. DeSalvo has been at the forefront of efforts to modernize the New Orleans healthcare system," said Sebelius. "Following Hurricane Katrina, for example, she led projects to increase access to care by augmenting the city's neighborhood-based medical homes for low income, uninsured and other vulnerable populations in the New Orleans area."
 
DeSalvo replaces Farzad Mostashari, who resigned from ONC in October after having served as National Coordinator since April 2011. She will begin serving in her new role on Monday, January 13.