March 10, 2017 -- AAMI has turned to an association executive with deep roots in healthcare and the development of clinical practice guidelines to advance its vital role in developing standards for the healthcare technology and medical device industries. Jennifer Padberg, who currently serves as vice president of standards and practice guidelines for the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), will join AAMI on March 27 as senior vice president of standards policy and programs.

“I’m thrilled with this opportunity,” Padberg, 45, said. “AAMI is the leading organization in setting the standards for the healthcare technology community, and that work is only going to become more important and valued as modern medicine grows more complex and interconnected. I look forward to building on AAMI’s record of enviable success and taking its Standards Department to the next level.”

AAMI President and CEO Robert Jensen offered high praise for Padberg, saying she was a perfect fit for both the department and the association as a whole. “Jen’s experience in leading the development of practice guidelines at IDSA has clear and compelling parallels to the work of standards development at AAMI,” Jensen said. “She also has an impressive understanding of healthcare issues in general, a mind for strategic thinking, and a record of collaborating with a wide variety of stakeholders in a leadership capacity. Those are all key ingredients for success in the standards world, but what most impressed me about Jen was her authenticity. She’s a sharp and approachable leader who knows how to connect with people.”

In her role at IDSA, which she leaves March 17, Padberg is responsible for more than 50 physician expert panels that develop a large portfolio of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. She also serves as the staff lead on a board-appointed task force to establish policy on interactions with industry.

The AAMI standards programs consists of more than 100 technical committees and working groups that produce standards, recommended practices, and technical information reports for a wide variety of medical devices, including those used in sterile processing. Its standards are used around the world to guide the development and use of safe and effective medical devices and healthcare technology. In joining AAMI, Padberg said her first priority would be getting to know the staff, especially within the Standards Department, and the many volunteers on the standards committees. “It’s a big department with a big job,” Padberg said. “There are lots of moving parts, and I want to get a good understanding of what people are working on, the different work styles, and the interactions with other departments. The staff is definitely going to be a huge focus of mine coming in.”

Padberg has been with IDSA since 2006, when she started as the director of standards and quality improvement, a department she built from the ground up. Prior to joining IDSA, Padberg served as director of research for the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Padberg holds a master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics from George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and physical education from Fairmont State University in Fairmont, WV.

Padberg stays busy outside of work with her two children: a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, both of whom are avid lacrosse players. Padberg said she enjoys athletics as well, having played both volleyball and golf in college.

Padberg admitted that as a young student, she never imagined winding up in the world of healthcare technology standards. Revealing a love for a classic sitcom, she said, “I wanted to be an architect like George Costanza.” But the people-focused appeal of healthcare—and her own aversion to math—placed her on a career path that she says has left her both fulfilled and challenged.

“I believe I can take what I’ve learned and have a positive impact at AAMI,” she said.


AAMI (www.aami.org) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967. It is a diverse community of approximately 7,000 healthcare technology professionals united by one important mission—supporting the healthcare community in the development, management, and use of safe and effective healthcare technology.