GO-Biz Launches Cyber-Health IT Advisory Board with USC Center for Body Computing

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced the formation of a new Cyber-Health Information Technology Advisory Board as part of an ongoing effort to support cybersecurity innovation and bolster advanced technology industries. The advisory board will be led by the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Body Computing and will include representatives from industry and education cybersecurity experts.

"California's entrepreneurs and innovators are on the cutting edge of technologies that will redesign everything from how we commute, grow our crops and manage our health," said Panorea Avdis, Director, Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "Cybersecurity is a critical core component of all of these growth industries, and we are partnering with education and industry experts to ensure data is secure and protected."

The USC Center for Body Computing will lead the advisory board with its founder and executive director, Leslie Saxon, MD, serving as chair. The advisory board will work to help further identify, define and communicate the cyber risks versus benefits associated with health IT solutions.  The board will also identify existing collaborative processes that can help enhance the overall cybersecurity position for healthcare technology, before developing pilot projects to address gaps and test solutions.

"We're honored to partner with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to spearhead the Health IT advisory board to assure we are defending patient information against hacking vulnerabilities and ensuring medical data is shared but safe while also adequately notifying the public about potential risks," said Saxon.  

The Health IT advisory board includes the following leaders in technology and digital health: Chris Tyberg, division vice president Information Security for Abbott Medical Devices; Amy Tong, director and State chief information officer for the California Department of Technology (CDT); Darin Andersen, MBA, co-chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee for Cybersecurity Task Force of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services; Bill Britton, vice president of information technology and chief information officer, California Polytechnic State University; Wainwright Fishburn, Global Head, Digital Health, Cooley LLP; John Mattison, MD, chief medical informatics officer at Kaiser Permanente, SCAL; and Andrew Thompson, chief executive officer of Proteus Digital Health.

The advisory board is scheduled to host two industry board meetings convening this fall and in spring 2018. The group will develop a white paper that outlines both immediate collaborative opportunities and a long-term strategy to bolster cybersecurity for health IT and mobile health.

"As a state with a worldwide reputation as technology leader, California is the ideal place to build this board to address key issues regarding the intersection of technology and healthcare," added Saxon.

In addition to this advisory board, GO-Biz's cyber-related activities include chairing the Economic Development Subcommittee of the California Cybersecurity Task Force, a statewide partnership comprised of key stakeholders, subject matter experts, and cybersecurity professionals from California's public sector, private industry, academia, and law enforcement; administering the annual CyberCalifornia Innovation Challenge, a statewide cybersecurity competition for high school students; and co-managing CASCADE, an initiative to bolster California's defense supply chain cybersecurity resilience, innovation capacity and diversification strategies along with the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR).

About CyberCalifornia
The CyberCalifornia coalition was formed to reinforce California's leadership position in cybersecurity as it relates to commerce and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.  The powerful combination of cybersecurity and the emergence of IoT makes California the perfect place to build secure next-generation technologies.  CyberCalifornia will contribute to the Golden State's cybersecurity leadership by organizing public-private partnerships in cybersecurity, in order to facilitate research and innovation, educate California businesses about cybersecurity needs and resources, and connect California's robust workforce development system with the needs of California employers.

About GO-Biz
GO-Biz serves as California's lead entity for economic development and job creation efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit: www.business.ca.gov.

About USC Center for Body Computing
The USC Center for Body Computing is the digital health innovation center for the Keck Medicine of USC medical enterprise. Collaborating with inventors, strategists, designers, investors and visionaries from health care, entertainment and technology, the USC CBC serves as a national leader on digital health and wearable technology. Founded in 2006 by Leslie Saxon, a trained USC cardiologist, the CBC was one of the nation's first academically-based centers to focus on digital health solutions. Dr. Saxon, an internationally renowned digital health guru has spoken at TEDMED, SXSW,WIRED international conferences as well as participates on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory group on global medical app regulations and recently participated in the Bipartisan Policy Center panel discussion on medical apps and health IT cybersecurity. She was recognized as the nation's "Most Tech Savvy Doctor" by Rock Health. For more information about the USC CBC: uscbodycomputing.org

SOURCE USC Center for Body Computing

Related Links

http://www.uscbodycomputing.org