This March, HL7 appointed Karen Mandelbaum to its 2026 Board of Directors. A nationally respected expert in data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and digital health strategy, Mandelbaum brings decades of experience advising healthcare organizations, federal agencies, and technology innovators as they navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of health data, interoperability, and artificial intelligence. She will serve a two-year term.
Mandelbaum currently serves as Senior Counsel at Epstein Becker Green, where she guides hospitals and health centers, insurers, value-based care entities, and digital health companies through complex regulatory, privacy, and technology challenges. Her work spans federal and state privacy law, ethical use and development of AI, cybersecurity program design, incident response, and the development of data governance strategies that promote information sharing, maximize value, and build trust across the healthcare ecosystem.
Previously, Mandelbaum served as Senior Advisor to the Chief Information Officer and Director for Security & Privacy Policy and Governance in the Office of Information Technology at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In those roles, she was instrumental in the development of CMS’s integrated cybersecurity and privacy program and defined security and privacy policies for Healthcare.gov, the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, enrollment verification, and health insurance- and web-broker programs. She also represented CMS in the federal initiative to adopt a roadmap for interoperability under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) and pioneered an internal CMS Interoperability Workgroup.
Karen is a two-time recipient of the CMS Administrator’s Honor Award, recognized in 2018 for her contributions to the New Medicare Card Initiative and in 2017 for her work developing website privacy notices for Healthcare.gov and Medicare.gov.
A Vision for Trust, Interoperability, and Responsible Innovation
HL7’s new CEO, Professor Rachel Dunscombe, emphasized Mandelbaum’s unique combination of legal, technical, and policy expertise as essential to HL7’s next chapter.
“Karen Mandelbaum brings a rare blend of deep regulatory insight, hands-on experience shaping federal privacy and security policy, and a career-long commitment to building trust in digital health,” said Professor Rachel Dunscombe, Chief Executive Officer of HL7 International. “Her leadership at CMS, her work guiding health systems and innovators through complex data challenges, and her
vision for responsible, interoperable AI make her an invaluable addition to our Board. As HL7 advances global interoperability and supports the next generation of digital health infrastructure, Karen’s expertise will help ensure that trust, equity, and good governance remain at the center of our mission.”
Mandelbaum on Joining the HL7 Board
Mandelbaum expressed her enthusiasm for contributing to HL7’s global mission.
“HL7 plays a foundational role in shaping how health information moves, how care is coordinated, and how innovation reaches patients and communities,” said Mandelbaum. “As the industry navigates new frontiers in interoperability, AI, and data governance, HL7’s standards and its global community are more important than ever. It is an honor to join the Board and to support HL7’s work to advance secure, ethical, and equitable data exchange across the world.”
