Name: Janet Rathod
Previous title: Global head of cyber threat intelligence, Citigroup
New title: Vice president and chief information security officer, Johns Hopkins
Courtesy of Johns Hopkins
Rathod assumed the CISO role at the health system and university Monday, according to a press release.
She replaces long-time cybersecurity chief Darren Lacey, who was appointed chief engineer for cybersecurity in the information technology services department at Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory.
Rathod joins the system from bank and financial services firm Citigroup, where she led global teams focused on building defensive controls against cyber threats. She also worked as senior director of cyber operations and intelligence at Capital One, and spent 16 years in the FBI.
“She brings experience and perspectives that are incredibly well-suited to the incessant cybersecurity threats that we must face in higher education and health care,” Rich Mendola, vice president and chief information officer at Johns Hopkins, said in a statement. Rathod will report to Mendola as CISO.
The appointment at Johns Hopkins comes as cybersecurity has become a top-tier concern for healthcare organizations. The sector has seen a growing wave of cyberattacks and data breaches in recent years as the industry manages more internet-connected devices with often limited cybersecurity resources.
Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins, which operates six academic and community hospitals, faced a cybersecurity incident last year related to a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software — an issue that plagued thousands of organizations, including government agencies and healthcare companies. The system was sued over the breach, but the case was later consolidated with other MOVEit lawsuits.
CISOs are newer positions in the healthcare C-suite, according to a report by executive search firm WittKieffer. More than half of CISOs at leading health systems grew their information security skills at outside sectors before transitioning into healthcare IT teams, while 30% were hired directly into the executive role at healthcare organizations. Only 15% began their careers in healthcare.