Linda Sanches

Linda Sanches, MPH is the Senior Advisor for HIT and Privacy Policy in the Office for Civil Rights within the federal Department of Health and Human Services.  She develops HIPAA security and privacy policy guidance and other assistance for entities developing and using health information technology. She also works to integrate health information privacy and security protections into governmental initiatives, coordinates HIPAA enforcement and policy projects and is a frequent collaborator with other agencies for outreach efforts. She serves as an ex officio member of federal Health IT Policy Committee workgroups.  Her portfolio has included constructing the health app developer portal for communication between OCR and health IT stakeholders, building and administering the HIPAA Audit Program, developing the model Notices of Privacy Practices, creating the HIPAA enforcement training for state attorneys general, and producing de-identification guidance. Before joining OCR to stand up the HIPAA Privacy Rule enforcement program, she led teams forming and writing the rule. Ms. Sanches came to HHS as a Presidential Management Fellow based in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation.  Following a year as a health fellow in the US Senate, in ASPE she acted as lead staff on immigrant health policy development and then creation of the HIPAA Rules. She earned a Masters of Public Health in health policy and administration from UC Berkeley and an AB in human biology from Brown University.