The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's deputy national coordinator, Dr. Jon White, is stepping down from his post in August, agency chief Dr. Donald Rucker wrote in an email to staff Monday.
White, who joined the ONC nearly five years ago, is leaving the agency to serve as associate chief of staff of research at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.
The executive director of the ONC's Office of Technology, Steven Posnack, will take on the role of deputy national coordinator upon White's departure.
As deputy national coordinator, White was tasked with helping to oversee all programs and policies at the ONC, including leading efforts to address such key priorities as interoperability, information blocking and precision medicine, as well as work with federal partners like the CMS and the Veterans Affairs Department.
Before joining the ONC, White served as director of the division of health IT at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
"We are grateful for Jon's service to ONC and HHS, we will miss him professionally and personally, and we wish him well in his new endeavor," Rucker wrote in the email to ONC staff.
Posnack, who will take on the deputy role after White departs Aug. 19, will continue in his role at the Office of Technology while the agency searches for a replacement.
Posnack's "unique experience and depth of knowledge will provide steady direction for our ONC team, continuity for our stakeholders, and vision for the work ahead of us," Rucker wrote to staff.
Posnack has served on the ONC's leadership team for 14 years, including nine years in the ONC's policy offices and five years in the agency's technology offices. As executive director of the ONC's Office of Technology, he has led the ONC Health IT Certification Program and directed the agency's standards and technology investments.
