Linette T. Scott, MD

Dr. Linette Scott, MPH, is the chief data officer and the deputy director of enterprise data and information management for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The department is responsible for financing and administering Medi-Cal, which provides health care services to about 15 million low-income Californians.

As chief data officer, Dr. Scott advances health equity for some of the most vulnerable Californians through the intelligent application of data. She works across the department and with stakeholders to ensure that reliable data and information are used to drive improvements in population health through the department’s programs and policies.

She also serves as alternate chair of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) advisory board.

"I have had the privilege of working with the UCLA CHPR team for over a decade," says Scott. "The work on CHIS and the reports and publications that have come from it have informed the California and national landscape for decades. CHIS has been innovative with survey methodology and processes to address survey response rates and engagement that keeps the information robust and meaningful for California. CHIS informs our work at DHCS across many of our programs as we continue to maximize coverage and deliver high-quality services."

Dr. Scott is a board-certified physician in public health and general preventive medicine and in clinical informatics. She has served as a general medical officer with the United States Navy, first as squadron physician with the regional support group and later as the military physician for an active duty clinic; as a public health medical officer with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH); California State Registrar and deputy director of health information and strategic planning at CDPH; and as the interim deputy secretary for health information technology at the California Health and Human Services Agency.