Mostashari appointed national coordinator for health IT

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius named Farzad Mostashari, M.D., ScM, as the new national coordinator for health information technology within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology effective April 8. Mostashari joined ONC in July 2009. He replaces Dr. David Blumenthal, who is returning to academia.

Previously, Mostashari served at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as assistant commissioner for the Primary Care Information Project. There, he facilitated the adoption of prevention-oriented health information technology by over 1,500 providers in underserved communities. Mostashari also led the CDC-funded NYC Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics and a project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality focused on quality measurement at the point of care.