ONC staff announcement from Karen DeSalvo

Dear ONC,

I wanted to let you know that Joy Pritts will be leaving ONC on July 12^th.  Joy was appointed our first Chief Privacy Officer four and a half years ago and came to ONC with a wealth of knowledge of and deep relationships in the health information technology and privacy communities.  Thanks to her efforts, privacy and security have become engrained in the ONC culture and are increasingly being recognized as crucial elements of health IT by our stakeholders.  We have been fortunate to have Joy on our team these last four and a half years.

Joy made it clear to me and the Secretary that she was committed to seeing me through my beginning tenure as National Coordinator, and has been an invaluable advisor to me over the last 5 months.  She has served not only as ONC's point person on privacy and security, but, as a practical matter, has served as a key advisor to the Secretary and across the federal government on these crucial issues.

Under Joy's leadership, ONC has had a significant impact on improving the privacy of health information and patients' rights to their information.  As you know, she helped in the development of regulations that give patients direct access to their lab test results.  Joy and her team have made great strides in furthering policy and technology that improves individuals' ability to choose when and how their health information may be electronically exchanged.  Joy's team has also provided much needed technical assistance to providers on how to make sure that electronic health information is safe and secure.  Thanks to Joy's perseverance, for the first time the Secretary's Strategic Initiatives include a distinct initiative addressing privacy and security.

At a broader level, Joy and her team have worked closely with the White House and other federal agencies to help ensure that the health sector is represented in policy discussions involving privacy and security of personal information.

I am committed to stressing the responsibility shared by all with regard to privacy and security in health information technology.  Fortunately, Joy has built a strong team that will continue the important work she started, and will help carry on the legacy of work to ensure that health IT is used to improve the health of all Americans in a private and secure manner.  I will be working with Joy to identify an acting CPO as well as a permanent replacement to ensure a smooth transition.

Join me in wishing Joy all the best in her future endeavors and in thanking her for her dedicated public service to our country.

kd