Dr. Cheryl Ford is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ATHOS1 LLC, a health Information Technology (IT) consulting firm she founded after retiring as a Captain from the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, where she served for 21 years. The USPHS Commissioned Corps is one of the nation’s eight uniformed services, which includes the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps. The USPHS is dedicated to protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the nation. With 30 years of expertise spanning healthcare operations, IT, and health informatics across multiple Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, Department of Defense (DOD), and the private sector, Dr. Ford has significantly influenced health systems and policies at a national level.

 

 

During her 10-year, tenure at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Dr. Ford served as a Senior Technical Advisor, leading innovation projects that enabled access to and analysis of data to support FDA’s regulatory review processes and policy decisions. Her leadership in IT and informatics was instrumental in enhancing FDA’s capabilities to address critical regulatory and policy challenges in drug safety and effectiveness. The FDA appointed Dr. Ford as a Public Private Partnership liaison for a newly established Consortium. In this role, she effectively presented information and views on behalf of CDER, facilitating the bridging of scientific gaps in drug discovery and development.

 

 

As a fellow in the esteemed White House Leadership Development Program, Dr. Ford supported the President's initiative mandating the transfer of the National Background Investigations Bureau into the Department of Defense. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, she provided vital public health support to the DoD, playing a pivotal role in helping sustain its mission-sensitive operations. Her extraordinary leadership and commitment during this global health crisis earned her the Meritorious Service Medal.

 

 

In her decade at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Dr. Ford, serving as both Enterprise Architect and Senior Health Insurance Specialist, significantly shaped the agency's approach to leveraging technology in healthcare. Her strategic input was pivotal in aligning technological resources with CMS' broader business objectives, thereby enhancing efficiency, security, and compliance across healthcare services nationally. Dr. Ford played a key leadership role in the development of CMS’s first Medicaid Integrity Program, enhancing its capabilities to combat fraud, waste, and abuse nationally. By automating the standardization and identification of improper Medicaid payments, Dr. Ford not only helped protect the integrity of Medicaid services nationally, but these efforts laid the groundwork for similar advancements in the nation's Medicare program. Thus, with 30 years of deep-rooted expertise, Dr. Ford is a key figure in driving forward national healthcare initiatives, bringing technical and leadership skills to large, complex, and essential health systems.