- Maureen Falvella has been tapped to lead NIH’s IT operations
- Falvella’s portfolio spans 27 NIH institutes, centers and offices
- The 2026 Healthcare Summit will examine AI, digital modernization and more
The National Institutes of Health has appointed Maureen Falvella, a federal IT official, to serve as the agency’s permanent chief information officer and director of the Office of the CIO, effective July 26.
As federal health agencies continue to modernize their technology operations, the Potomac Officers Club will host the 2026 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 3 to examine how major federal health agencies plan to acquire and utilize digital tools and artificial intelligence. Join senior leaders for exclusive panel discussions on enhancing data privacy, expanding access to care and driving modernization across the health sector. Register now to save your seat.
What Are Falvella’s Priorities as CIO?
In a LinkedIn post published Sunday, Falvella reflected on her career at NIH and outlined her priorities for the role going forward.
“Looking ahead, I want to bring more unity to how NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers are supported by IT, and to open-source more of what we build — compliance-as-code, design patterns, metadata schemas — so the broader biomedical research ecosystem can build on it too,” she wrote. “I’m also excited to support NIH’s Bio Genesis Mission and the Real-World Data Platform initiatives.”
She added that her more than 15 years at NIH include work on RECOVER, BioData Catalyst and the agency’s first extramural research risk management framework. These are in addition to chairing the task force that established security standards now used across NIH’s Controlled-Access Data Repositories.
What Did NIH CIT Director Sean Mooney Say About Falvella?
Sean Mooney, director of the NIH Center for Information Technology, congratulated Falvella on her appointment in a LinkedIn post.
“Since becoming acting NIH CIO in September 2025, Maureen has provided executive leadership for NIH’s $1.9 billion IT portfolio across all 27 institutes, centers and offices,” he wrote. “She led NIH-wide digital transformation, modernized enterprise technology, consolidated services and aligned technology investments with NIH’s scientific and operational priorities.”
Mooney credited Falvella with several data security milestones, including safeguarding the RECOVER Program and BioData Catalyst datasets and leading the Secure Controlled-Access Data Repositories Task Force.
Who Is Maureen Falvella?
Falvella is the CIO at NIH. According to her NIH biography, she has more than 14 years of technical experience leading operations, creating strategies and overseeing budgets to safeguard information assets at the agency.
She most recently served as chief information security officer at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI. She previously served as the information system security officer at NHLBI.
Before joining NHLBI, Falvella spent four years at TerpSys, where she served as deputy program manager and infrastructure portfolio lead, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also worked at TechTeam Global and Apple earlier in her career.
The University of Maryland business administration graduate holds a master’s degree in digital forensics and cyber investigation from the same institution.
