Trump Administration Appoints Deputy HHS Secretary & National Coordinator for Health IT
There have been a further two appointments to leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has sworn in Jim O’Neill as Deputy HHS Secretary, and Thomas Keane, MD, MBA, has been named as the new Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Last week, the HHS appointed Paula M Stannard as the new Director of the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
Jim O’Neill is a HHS veteran, having served in the department for almost six years between 2002 and 2008, first as Director of the Speech and Editorial Division, then Associate Deputy Secretary and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, and as Principal Associate Deputy Secretary between 2007 and 2008. In the latter role, O’Neill led reforms at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to overhaul food safety regulations and implemented the FDA Amendments Act to improve the safety of drugs and medical devices.
After leaving the HHS, O’Neill oversaw the development of tools and techniques for enhancing background checks as a member of the Suitability and Security Clearance Performance Accountability Council, served as Managing Director at the global macro hedge fund Clarium Captial Management, Acting CEO of the Thiel Foundation supporting nonprofits promoting technology and freedom, and co-founded the Thiel Fellowship, which has helped many young entrepreneurs found science and tech firms.
O’Neill has also served on the Board of Directors at Advantage Therapeutics Inc., as Board Observer at Oisin Biotechnologies, and was on the Board of Directors at the SENS Research Foundation, where as CEO he led efforts to research and develop regenerative medicine solutions for age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and cancer.
“Jim O’Neill’s extensive experience in Silicon Valley and government makes him ideally suited to transition HHS into a technological innovation powerhouse. He will help us harness cutting-edge AI, telemedicine, and other breakthrough technologies to deliver the highest quality medical care for Americans,” said Secretary Kennedy. “As my deputy, he will lead innovation and help us reimagine how we serve the public. Together, we will promote outcome-centric medical care, champion radical transparency, uphold gold-standard science, and empower Americans to take charge of their own health.”
“I am deeply honored to return to HHS,” said Deputy Secretary O’Neill. “All Americans deserve to be healthy, happy, and prosperous, and President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have the right vision and leadership to get us there.”
Thomas Keane, MD. Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Thomas Keane, MD, MBA, has also rejoined the HHS, becoming the second Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and the ninth National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC). Dr. Keane, a physician, engineer, and interventionalist radiologist, previously served at the HHS as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Keane was an administrator of the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and led the development of the AHRQ National Nursing Home COVID Action Network, which helped improve infection control and safety practices in nursing facilities. Dr. Keane has also served as CEO of Radiology Associates of Southeastern Ohio, an interventional radiology fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a radiology resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital. In the new role, DR. Keane will play a key role in shaping the future of Health IT and the HHS technology strategy.
