Industry Welcomes DeSalvo To ONC

Karen DeSalvo, MD, current health commissioner of New Orleans, will be taking the ONC reins Jan. 13, replacing acting national coordinator Jacob Reider. She is the first woman to serve in this role.

Carole Pritchard, corporate director of information technology at Henry Ford Hospital, said it's a "wonderful accomplishment" for DeSalvo and further demonstrates "how far women have come in leveling the playing field in many industries," she told Healthcare IT News. It's a step in the right direction for "breaking the glass ceiling," Pritchard added.

The news of DeSalvo's appointment was also much abuzz on Twitter.

Urmimala Sarkar, MD, internist at San Franscico General Hospital and health IT researcher, tweeted, "Yes! Karen DeSalvo…good for primary care, public health patients."

"Karen DeSalvo MD is an awesome choice to be National Coordinator for Health IT," tweeted Ruben Amarasingham, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern's department of clinical science.