23andMe Appoints Kate Black as Privacy Officer and Corporate Counsel

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, today announced the appointment of Kate Black as Privacy Officer and Corporate Counsel. Black brings a strong background in international, federal, and state privacy laws as well as health care regulations. As a member of the legal and regulatory team, she will be responsible for reviewing, updating and enhancing the company's privacy and consent policies for customers in the U.S. and abroad. She joined the company January 5, 2015 and reports to Kathy Hibbs, chief legal and regulatory affairs officer.

"Customer privacy and security are crucial to the core of 23andMe's service," said Hibbs. "Last year, our company committed to hiring a Privacy Officer to help us ensure that our privacy and consent policies best complement our philosophy on the importance of customer choice and empowerment. While we have always had a team dedicated to this effort, we are thrilled to have Kate take a leadership role at 23andMe."

Prior to joining 23andMe, Black worked for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the United States Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. As a federal regulatory and interoperability policy analyst there, she was responsible for drafting, analyzing, and advising on federal health IT regulations and privacy and security requirements under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 

Black has also served as health privacy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology in San Francisco, CA, where she advocated for consumer civil liberties and advised state agencies and others on health IT and privacy laws. Earlier in her career, she worked on health technology policy initiatives at the Office of Science and Technology at the White House as well as serving as a pro bono researcher for The World Health Organization.

"The potential impact that 23andMe can have on both individual health and the entire health care industry is profound," said Black. "In appropriately leveraging the 23andMe database, we can significantly advance health care delivery, but we will not succeed unless we approach it with the utmost concern about protecting customer privacy and building customer trust."  

Black holds a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington Law School in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Florida International University in Miami, FL.

About 23andMe:

23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company. Founded in 2006, the mission of the company is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has over 850,000 customers worldwide with over 80 percent consented to participate in research. 23andMe, Inc. is located in Mountain View, CA.  More information is available at www.23andMe.com.

Contact: Jackie Kahn, (202) 538-0128

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150226/178206

SOURCE 23andMe