Micki Jernigan, Carolina’s Chief Privacy Officer since January, explains what the Institutional Privacy Office does, why it is important to the University and what she enjoys about the job.
What is the Institutional Privacy Office?
The Institutional Privacy Office is a unit within ITS that works collaboratively with all of campus to safeguard the University’s sensitive information. It operates within ITS because the fields of information technology, privacy and security are tightly intertwined, necessitating particularly close collaboration with the ITS Security Office. The Privacy Office addresses what information should be protected, while the Security Office handles how to protect that information. Rapid IT innovation is driving this demand for more robust and proactive privacy efforts.How does the Institutional Privacy Office protect sensitive information?
The Privacy Office uses policies, procedures, training, awareness and leverage’s Carolina’s culture of integrity for safeguarding the University’s sensitive information.What is the role of the Chief Privacy Officer?
The Chief Privacy Officer’s job is to facilitate compliance with state, federal and other laws and regulations – such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the N.C. Identity Theft Protection Act as well as University policies and standards related to privacy. As a recipient of federal funds, the University is mandated to have a Privacy Officer.How does the Institutional Privacy Office help the University?
The office promotes best practices for protecting the dignity of individuals by promoting good stewardship of people’s information, whether patients, employees or students. The office is a resource for guidance on safeguarding sensitive information, including prevention of breaches of sensitive information that could result in criminal, civil or monetary fines for the University and/or faculty, staff or students.What do you enjoy about being the Chief Privacy Officer?
I enjoy working within the Carolina culture that values integrity. This is apparent when people value an individual’s privacy first and protect information not just because laws and University policies require that guardianship, but because it is the right thing to do. I enjoy leveraging relationships to collaborate across campus to facilitate effective compliance.Please visit the Institutional Privacy Office web page for more information.