The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology appointed Kathryn Marchesini as its chief privacy officer.

Marchesini most recently served as the agency’s Senior Advisor and Deputy Director for Privacy. She’s been with ONC since 2010 in that role, leading the agency’s privacy team and working on federal policies, guidance and education initiatives.

In 2014, she served as ONC’s Acting Chief Privacy Officer.

As of July 2017, it was rumored that ONC would eliminate the position to shift priorities and attempt to become a leaner agency. This was further fueled when Acting Chief Privacy Officer Deven McGraw left in the fall.

A legislative mandate buried in the HITECH Act from 2009, however, requires the agency to fill the position “to advise the national coordinator on privacy, security and data stewardship of electronic health information and to coordinate with other federal agencies.”

Before joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Marchesini was a technology and technology consultant for two global management consulting firms, as well as relevant positions in the state government and an international clinical research organization.

Marchesini holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law, a professional certificate in Strategic Decision and Risk Management in Healthcare from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Catholic University.

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Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com