Todd Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Todd Park
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| 2nd Chief Technology Officer of the United States | |
| In office March 1, 2012 – August 28, 2014 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Aneesh Chopra |
| Succeeded by | Megan Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Amy |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Todd Park is an American entrepreneur and government official. He is known for his work in technology and government. He served as the Chief Technology Officer of the United States. This role meant he was a top technology advisor for U.S. President Barack Obama. He also helped start a company called Devoted Health.
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Todd Park's Early Life and School
Todd Park was born in 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were immigrants from South Korea. He finished high school at the Columbus Academy in 1990. In the same year, he was named a Presidential Scholar. This is a special award for high-achieving students.
He went to Harvard University to study economics. There, he met his future wife, Amy. They have two children together. Todd graduated from Harvard with high honors.
Companies Todd Park Started
Todd Park has helped start several important companies.
Starting athenahealth
In 1997, when he was 24, Todd Park co-founded athenahealth. He started this company with Jonathan S. Bush. athenahealth focuses on making healthcare more efficient.
Creating Castlight Health
In 2008, he also co-founded Castlight Health. This company was recognized as a top new company in America in 2011. Castlight Health helps people understand their healthcare costs.
Helping Healthpoint Services
Park also volunteered as an advisor for Ashoka. Ashoka helps social entrepreneurs around the world. He helped start Healthpoint Services. This project brought clean water, medicines, and health services to villages in India. In 2011, Healthpoint Services won an award for being an innovative health project.
Founding Devoted Health
In 2017, Todd Park founded Devoted Health. He is a co-founder and executive chairman there. This company aims to improve healthcare for older adults.
Working in Government: Health and Human Services
In 2009, Todd Park was asked to become the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is a big government department that deals with health.
Using Data for Healthcare
At HHS, he was a leader in using "big data" for healthcare. He wanted to create an open platform for health data. This would be like the National Weather Service, which shares weather data. He also wanted to find ways to reduce waste in healthcare.
Open Innovation in Government
Park believed in using "open innovation" in government. This means getting ideas from people outside the government. He thought that sharing health data would help public health. It could also create new business chances in health technology. In 2010, a magazine named him one of the most innovative people in business.
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Park ran his team at HHS like a technology company. This approach was important for HealthCare.gov. This website helps people find health insurance plans.
He also started the Community Health Data Initiative. This event encouraged people to create new healthcare apps using government data. Later, this event became known as the Health Datapalooza. It grew very popular, bringing together many people interested in health and technology.
Todd Park as U.S. Chief Technology Officer
In March 2012, President Obama chose Todd Park to be the United States Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he worked with many government agencies. He helped them use data in new ways, similar to the Datapalooza.
Presidential Innovation Fellows
Park also started the Presidential Innovation Fellows program. This program brings talented people from outside government to work on important projects. The goal is to solve big challenges quickly by combining different ideas and skills.
Todd Park's Role with HealthCare.gov
The first version of HealthCare.gov was launched in July 2010. Todd Park and his team at HHS built it in 90 days. This early version was seen as a success for healthcare reform. It was also the first website a U.S. President ever demonstrated.
Later versions of HealthCare.gov, especially the one launched in October 2013, had many problems. These versions were built by other groups. When the issues became clear, President Obama asked Todd Park to help fix them. Park led a team that worked to repair HealthCare.gov. They fixed the website so millions of Americans could find and buy health insurance.
