HHS Names New Director for HIPAA Enforcement Agency

Paula Stannard Has Deep HHS Regulatory and Legal Roots Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) • June 5, 2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has named attorney Paula Stannard as new director to lead its HIPAA enforcement agency - the Office for Civil Rights. Stannard was a former legal adviser and counsel at HHS previously under the first Trump administration and also during the George W. Bush administration.

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Besides HIPAA privacy, security, breach enforcement and rulemaking activities, HHS OCR also enforces federal healthcare civil rights, conscience and religious freedom laws in HHS' jurisdiction.

Some former colleagues who worked directly or indirectly with Stannard during her earlier HHS stints say she is well-suited for her new leadership post, bringing deep knowledge to the job from her government and ...