Chief Information Privacy & Security Officer, Henry Ford Health System
Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award
2016
Bio:
Meredith R. Phillips ’94, ’97 is a groundbreaker in her field. In 2003 she became the Henry Ford Health System’s first Chief Privacy Officer. She came to the role after serving as consultant to Health Alliance Plan where she served as a HIPAA project manager. In 2012 she was named the health care system’s Chief Information Privacy & Security Officer, responsible for the protection of Henry Ford’s provider, insurance, retail and research businesses.
Phillips’ parents and grandparents urged her to pursue higher education. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer & Information Systems, and later obtained a Master of Health Services Administration at UDM. Deeper understanding of the ways in which software could be used to improve healthcare and privacy would, she felt, lead to better integration of the two fields.
A longtime advocate for education, Phillips also mentors young women interested in the STEM fields. She also supports the Henry Ford Early College Learning Program as well as the programming of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. She was a keynote presenter last year at the College of Business Administration’s Alumni Week lecture at UDM.
Citation:
Meredith Phillips is a trailblazer who is setting standards and charting a path for others in the field of health information privacy and security.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer & Information Systems, and later obtained a Master of Health Services Administration at UDM.
In 2003, she became Henry Ford Health System’s first Chief Privacy Officer. As data protection expanded, in 2012 she was named the health system’s Chief Information Privacy & Security Officer, responsible for the safekeeping of insurance, retail and research information. She is the only African-American woman in a comparable position in the United States.
She also mentors students interested in fields that rely on science, technology, engineering and math. She supports the Henry Ford Early College Learning Program and the Michigan Council of Women in Technology, helping young women understand the opportunities available in the growing STEM fields.
Distinguished graduate of the College of Health Professions, Meredith R. Phillips, was honored with the Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award on April 24, 2016.