Education

• Board Certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, 1998
• Preventive Medicine Residency, The Johns Hopkins University, 1996
• M.P.H., Health Policy & Management, The Johns Hopkins University, 1995
• Transitional Internship, Georgetown University, 1994
• M.D., University of Florida (with honors), 1993
• Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1986
• B.S.M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University (with honors), 1981

Work History

1999 – present Director of Medical Informatics, Pfizer Health Solutions Santa Monica, California

Developing an informatics strategy for Pfizer Health Solutions that best support the needs of the health care sector.

1996 - 1999 Director & Founder, Health Information Technology Institute - Mitretek Systems McLean, Virginia

Increased the visibility of Mitretek Systems, a 501(c)(3), in the health domain through the creation of the Health Information Technology Institute (HITI). Developed and pursued a successful long term strategy resulting in international recognition aligned with quality and health informatics. As a part of this strategy I have developed a HITI corporate image and mission statement, convened a Blue Ribbon Panel (to provide feedback to HITI), obtained national and international exposure, established a web presence (http://hitiweb.mitretek.org), assembled a robust team of experts (within and external to HITI), and expanded Mitretek’s client base (e.g., national and local medical associations, hospitals and academic medical centers). In addition, I have developed the following:

Myocardial Infarction Alert System. Conceptualized and wrote a grant submission to the National Library of Medicine that provided a mechanism to use the Internet and information technology to decrease the time to treatment for patients experiencing a heart attack.

Prevent It! – an Internet based application for employers. First phase completed, an Internet cardiovascular disease module based on the USPS Task Force’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, that provides individuals recommended clinical preventive services based on their risk factors.

Health Summit Working Group – an expert group of key stakeholders in health informatics and the established criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the Internet. Products include two documents a white paper and a policy paper (http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/hwsg). Many organizations are endorsing the policy paper and using these documents to ensure the quality of their site, as a method to help them "evaluate" the quality of other sites, and to educate consumers. These documents have been translated into numerous languages and is being used internationally.

Information Quality Tool (IQ) - a web-based educational tool that can help consumers and developers evaluate sites. Preliminary studies have shown that the tool can effectively separate "high quality" from "low quality" sites. More testing is being planned to assess the tools reliability and validity (http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/iq).

CancerDesk - a prototype of a Internet physician-patient platform for patients with breast and prostate cancer for health care delivery organizations. The prototype is designed to assess impact of using different web-technologies on patients and providers.

Health Informatics Training – provide a two to three month rotation to Preventive Medicine Residents who are interested in health informatics from Johns Hopkins University and Internal Medicine Residents from Prince George’s Hospital Center.

Technical Paper on Electronic Medical Records – review of the current state of the art, with an emphasis on physicians and the office setting.

1998 - present Associate Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health Washington, DC

Created a new course: Health Informatics – Applications and Public Policy Implications. This course provides students exposure to leaders in the health informatics.

1994 - 1996 Preventive Medicine Resident, Johns Hopkins University

Served in an expert capacity in the following roles:

Senior Health Fellow - Mitretek Systems McLean, Virginia

Developed a business plan incorporating information technology as the mechanism to support patient centric care for a cancer center.

Fellow - Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Washington, DC

Initiated the development of a continuing medical education credit supplement to facilitate implementation of the Put Prevention Into Practice Program for the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services. Designed the product to generate funds, providing a return of 300% to 400% over cost, for the associations that will implement the program

Expert - Consultants in Epidemiology and Occupational Health Washington, DC

Applied epidemiologic tools to analyze an established medical surveillance system in an industrial setting. Redesigned, with company input, their system to facilitate an assessment of employee health and exposure to sodium azide. Wrote a ground-breaking paper on the industrial and occupational health impact of the sodium azide industry on employees to provide occupational health guidelines for reducing future employee exposure in the industry. Developed a database system for a medical surveillance system, which will reduce error rates by 90% and data entry times by 50%. Tailored system for epidemiological assessment to guide engineering and industrial hygiene. Resulted in the addition of controls to investigate significant findings.

Physician & Analyst - Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Occupational Medicine Washington, DC

Originated and completed a database system for inquiries to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Office of Occupational Medicine. Resulted in a reduction in physician time requirements by approximately 3,000 hours a year. Provided rapid reporting of inquiry profiles, quality assurance, and resource identification. Product was recommended for use agency-wide to help answer inquiries in a unified manner and help direct management and future activities.

Provided expert responses in occupational health for inquiries directed to the Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Occupational Medicine. This expertise served as the basis for two industry citations for carbon monoxide exposures and elimination of exposure risks

Analyst - Office of Technology Assessment Washington, DC

Wrote a background paper on coverage decisions by medical directors for laser technologies to provide the basis for future recommendations for uniform and rational approaches to coverage decisions. Analyzed health technology trends to direct future policy activities at the federal level while at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.

Consultant - American College of Preventive Medicine Washington, DC

Performed under extreme time constraints and successfully completed a review of preventive interventions and their costs for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Product was used to guide their cost-effectiveness recommendations

Instructor - Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland

Taught an undergraduate course in public health.

SAS Programmer - Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland

Developed SAS program to calculate expected mortality rates, corrected for age, race and sex in an HIV and control populations to enable investigators to evaluate their findings in a meaningful manner.

1993 - 1994 Medical Intern - Georgetown University, Fairfax Hospital Fairfax, Virginia

Hands-on experience as a physician in the delivery of health care in hospital, clinic, work and community settings. Successfully completed transitional internship training in pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, critical care, and emergency and ambulatory medicine.

Successfully completed an INOVA grant for the evaluation of health care delivery at the clinic level for the chronic diseases hypertension and diabetes. Developed and initiated the implementation of a chronic disease patient management program. Worked with corporations and associations to provide educational materials to health care providers and patients at no cost to the clinic. These activities have led to a significant improvement in the management of hypertensive and diabetic patients.

1991 - 1992 Diplomacy Fellow - U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Washington, DC

Represented and led the Agency for International Development’s Dracunculiasis eradication activities at the Interagency Group on Dracunculiasis Eradication and at the Guinea Worm Summit, a senior policy meeting, at the Carter Center. Identified provision of an uncontaminated water supply as primary activity for the Agency in this endeavor. This approach resulted in a significant reduction in mortality, in addition to a decrease in Dracunculiasis.

Successfully developed and wrote a $100 million environmental health program to provide technical assistance in the various sectors of environmental health to developing countries for the Agency for International Development. Praised for the quality of the program by the company awarded the contract. Hands-on and formal training in team management to support the program cycle process used in the successful programs discussed above. Initiated and completed numerous projects from conception, through development, implementation, and evaluation. Evaluated numerous projects to help guide the future direction and million dollar funding decisions. Provided technical appraisals of numerous grant requests guiding awards of several million dollars.

1987 - 1988 Research Fellow - University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada

Investigated sickle cell adhesion using immunofluorence techniques.

1986 - 1987 Research Fellow - Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry Munich, Germany

Built a prototype Couette-flow apparatus to study the effects of shear on fibrin polymerization. Taught PASCAL.

Professional Affiliations

• Chair, IEEE – USA Medical Technology Policy Committee (1998–present)
Vice-Chair, IEEE - USA Medical Technology Policy Committee (1998)
Subcommittee on Health Education, IEEE - USA Medical Technology Policy Committee (1997)
• Chair and founding Board member, Internet Healthcare Coalition (1997-present)
• Co-Chair eHealth Ethics Summit, Internet Healthcare Coalition (1999-present)
• Chair of the Internet Anti-Fraud Initiative, Internet Healthcare Coalition (1999-present)
• Editorial Review Board, Journal of Medical Internet Research (1998-present)
• Governing Council, Health Administration Section, American Public Health Association (1999)
• Alternate Delegate, YPS American Medical Association (1999)
• Board member, Alliance for Public Technology (1998-present)
• External Liason, DHHS’s Science Panel on Interactive Communications and Health (1997-present)
• Co-Chair; Prevention 99 Conference Planning Committee (1998-1999)
• Member, National Forum on Adult Literacy (1998-present)
• Advisory Board, Foundation for Genetic Medicine (1998)
• Nicholas E. Davis Recognition Program Committee, CPRI (1998)
• Numerous conference committees and review panels - e.g., AMIA, Prevention, Partnerships, JAMA, JAMIA, NLM-NGI, AAAS

Additional Education

• AAAS, Science, Engineering, & Diplomacy Fellow, Agency for International Development, Washington, DC, 1992
• NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1988
• DAAD Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich, Germany, 1987
• Facilitation Skills, Washington, DC, 1992
• Team Management Skills, Washington, DC, 1992
• AMA, Medical Media Training, Washington, DC, 1999

Licenses

• The American Board of Preventive Medicine: Public Health and General Preventive Medicine
• Medical license in Maryland and Virginia
• Engineering in Training

Associations

• American College of Preventive Medicine
• American Teachers of Preventive Medicine
• American Medical Informatics Association
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Sigma Xi, Scientific Honor Society
• Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
• Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society
• Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
• American Medical Association
• The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
• American Public Health Association
• Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society

Honors

1995 Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society Johns Hopkins University

1994 International Health in Medical Education Consortium Speaker Award Washington, DC

1993 The Thorklid W. Anderson Award for Greatest Overall Contribution to the College of Medicine University of Florida

1991 Netter Atlas Award for Community Service University of Florida

1990 Genevra Todd & Henry E. Meleney Memorial Award for Excellence in Academics & Community Service University of Florida

1989 Learning Facilitator Award University of Florida

1986 Sigma Xi, Scientific Honor Society Duke University

1984 Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Duke University

1981 Outstanding Graduate in Engineering Florida Atlantic University

1980 Wimberly Scholar for Highest Scholastic Achievement Florida Atlantic University

1979 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Florida Atlantic University

1977 - 1981 Faculty Scholars Scholarship Florida Atlantic University

Publications

1999 Rippen, H: The IQ-Tool, Medical Marketing and Media, submitted.

1999 Rippen, H: Consumers in Health Care, Essential of Computers for Nursing, submitted.

1999 Rippen, H: What’s Hot in IT (Information Technology), Y2K, APHA Health Administration Section Newsletter Fall 1999.

1998 Buckovich, S., Rippen, H., Rozen, M: Guiding Principles for Privacy/Confidentiality/Security -- Where Are We Now?, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 6(2):122-133 1999.

1998 Health Summit Working Group Policy Paper: Criteria for Assessing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet, 1998, http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/hswg/documents/policy.html

1998 Rippen H., Guard R., Kragen M., Byrns P., Silber D., Buckovich S., Letter to the Editor, JAMA, August 26, 1998

1998 Rippen H., Buckovich S., Quality Management of Online Health Information (chapter 8), 1999 Guide to HealthCare Resources on the Internet, Faulkner & Gray 1998.

1998 Rippen H., Buckovich S., Health Information and the Internet, Focus on Patient Safety Newsletter of the National Patient Safety Foundation, Vol. 1, Issue 3, Summer 1998, pp. 3-4.

Rippen, H.: What’s Hot in IT (Information Technology), Internet, APHA Health Administration Section Newsletter, June 1998, pp 6-9

Rippen, H.: What’s Hot in IT (Information Technology), Security, APHA Health Administration Section Newsletter, 1998.

Carlson, RP: Part 1: the emergence of the new health care consumer. Panelist. The Physician Executive, May-June, 1998, 24(3):6-19.

1997 White Paper Working Group: Guidelines for Assessing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet, http://hitiweb.mitretek.org/docs/criteria.html

1996 Rippen, H., Lamm, S.H., Nicoll, P.G., Cummings, L., Howearth, G. and Thayer, D.: Occupational Health Data as a Basis for Process Engineering Changes -- Development of a Safe Work Environment in the Sodium Azide Industry. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1996, 68:459-68.

1995 Background Paper: Coverage of Laser Technology by Health Insurance; 1995, Office of Technology Assessment.

1995 Rippen, H.: Maximizing prevention at the ambulatory care level. Step 1: Assessment Prevention 95; Abstract.

1992 Rippen, H. et al, Planning Workshop for AFRICARE Regional Water, Sanitation, and Health Project. WASH Field Report No. 393.

1992 Rippen, H: How to Give An Effective Presentation. In: Proceedings of the Occupational & Environmental Health Symposium.

1990 Rippen, H, et al: 10 Easy Steps to Set Up a Health Fair. Annual Meeting of the American Medical Student Association; Abstract.

1987 Berk, Helga Rippen and Clark,H: The Effects of Flow on Fibrin Polymerization. In: Fibrinogen 2. Biochemistry, Physiology, and Clinical Relevance: Lowe, et al, Eds. P39-42.

1987 Berk, Helga Rippen and Clark, H: Shear and Fibrin Clot Formation: Role of FPB Release. XI International Congress on Thrombosis and Hemostasis; Abstract.

1987 Berk, Helga Rippen and Clark, H: The Effect of Shear on Oligomer Formation: Effective Removal of Monomers. XI International Congress on Thrombosis and Hemostasis; Abstract.

Presentations

1999 IHC: Fixing the Broken Link New York, NY

The Online Relationship between Healthcare Providers and Consumers

1999 Congressional Staff Briefing, Older Adults, Health Information and the WWW Washington, DC

Enhancing Quality, Preventing Abuse

1999 Medication Communication: The Basics and Beyond, National Council on Patient Washington, DC

Information and Education (NCPIE), CyberSurfing: Health and Medicine Information on the Internet

1999 Medication Communication: The Basics and Beyond, NCPIE Washington, DC

Beyond the Basics: Evaluating the Credibility of Health & Medication Information on the Internet

1999 HII 99 Washington, DC

Online Risk Assessments – What You Need to Know

1999 HII 99 Washington, DC

The Case for Urban Telehealth: The Urban Underserved

1999 Older Adults, Health Information and the World Wide Web Washington, DC

Speaker, Moderator: Quality of Health Information on the World Wide Web for Older Adults

1999 Prevention 99 Washington, DC

Moderator, The Internet and the Role of the Government

1999 Aging in Rural America - National Academy of State Health Policy Meeting Chicago, IL

Telehealth Technology and Policy Issues – Aging in Rural America

1999 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Philadelphia, PA

Developing Quality Standards for Internet Health Information

1998 Rural Maryland’s Healthcare Summit Rocky Gap, MD

Year 2000 - What You Need to Know. Preparing Rural Maryland for Y2K

1998 Health reporting class American University Washington, DC

The role of the Internet in Healthcare

1998 Internet Healthcare Coalition Annual Meeting Washington, DC

Assessing the Quality of Health Information on the Internet

1998 Military Health Systems Data Administration Conference: Realizing Health Data Sharing Washington, DC

Keynote Speaker: Provider Perspective: Quality, Design, and Content

1998 Health Information Infrastructure ’98 Washington, DC

Guiding Principles for Privacy, Confidentiality and Security of Information.

1998 Heath Information Infrastructure ’98 Washington, DC

Using the Web for Consumer Health Information: Quality vs. Access

1998 Partnerships ’98 Washington, DC

Consumer Tools: Work of the Mitretek Summit

1998 National Association of Home Health Care, Keynote Speaker Washington, DC

How Information Technology Can Help You and Your Patients

1997 Health Improvement Institute Conference, Speaker Washington, DC

Overview of the Work of the Health Summit Group

1997 MedWebMasters Conference, Speaker Washington, DC

Criteria for Assessing Quality of Health Information on the Internet for the Consumer

1997 American Medical Informatics Spring Conference, Speaker & Moderator San Jose, California

Preview of the White Paper - Criteria for Assessing Quality

1997 American Medical Informatics Association Spring Conference, Speaker San Jose, California

Should Restrictions or Labels be Placed on Health Information on the Internet?

1997 Partnerships ‘97, Moderator Washington, DC

Quality: What Is It? How Do We Know? Who Is Responsible?

1997 Prevention ‘97, Speaker Atlanta, Georgia

Workshop - Learning How to Surf the Internet for Public Health Providers

1997 Prevention ‘97, Moderator Atlanta, Georgia

Surfing the Information Superhighway for Public Health

1996 Johns Hopkins University Preventive Medicine Residency Lecture Series Baltimore, Maryland

Presentation Pearls

1996 Prevention ‘96, Speaker Dallas, Texas

Workshop - Presentation Pearls: Back to the Basics

1996 Health Information Infrastructure, Speaker Washington, DC

Using Electronic Health Data to Improve Health Outcomes

1995 Prevention ‘95, Speaker

Workshop - Presentation Pearls: Back to the Basics

1995 Prevention ‘95, Speaker

Assessment of Practice for Chronic Diseases in an Ambulatory Care Setting

1995 Johns Hopkins University, Instructor Baltimore, Mayland

Careers in Public Health

1992 Start-Up Workshop, Facilitator Malawi

AFRICARE Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Education Project

1992 Workshop, Facilitator Belize

Behavioral Data Collection Workshop

1992 Occupational and Environmental Health Symposium, Organizer/Facilitator Poland

Speaking Skills Workshop

1992 Facilitator/Project Evaluator: Mauritania

Peace Corps Guinea Worm Eradication Workshop

1992 Lecturer: Health Conditions in Urban and Rural Development Washington,D.C.

George Washington University, Center for International Health

1986 Instructor: PASCAL Germany

Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry

1982 Graduate Teaching Assistant: Biomechanics and Electronics North Carolina

Duke University

1977 Teaching Assistant: Microbiology Florida

Florida Atlantic University