According to AP Wire Service... Mar 20, 6:03 AM EDT

HHS announced today that Dr. David Blumenthal has been appointed coordinator of health information technology efforts for the Obama administration.

Dr. Blumenthal has been a professor at Harvard Medical School,  an advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy on healthcare, an advisor to former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and a senior advisor to President Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

He has done extensive research on Health Information Technology issues, and will play a key role in determining how to spend $19 billion devoted to medical technology in the economic stimulus bill that became law last month.