President Barack Obama has appointed Todd Park to the role of U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO), which opened up when Aneesh Chopra, the first CTO in the country’s history, departed for a return to the private sector. Previously, Park was the chief technology officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he served in that role since 2009. Park was a champion of the use of data, technology and innovation in healthcare systems.
“Todd Park has demonstrated a remarkable talent for enlisting innovative technologies to modernize government, reduce waste, and make government information more accessible to the public,” President Obama said in a statement. “In his new position he will bring those skills to the entire Federal enterprise, ensuring that government will serve all Americans fairly, effectively, and efficiently.”
At HHS, Park led several initiatives, such as the launch of HealthCare.gov, which provided the consumer public with a comprehensive inventory of public and private health insurance plans across the country. He also championed several data sharing initiatives, including the Health Data Initiative, which allowed for health information to be easily accessible, downloadable and usable by the public and third-party app developers. Park led several developer challenges at the HHS as well.
While Park will continue to focus on improving healthcare through technology, the Obama administration will ask him to take his IT approach across a broader scope. Obama created the role of U.S. CTO to “modernize a Federal government relying too heavily on 20th century.”
More on this story as it develops.
