Washington, Mar 10 (IANS): US President Barack Obama Friday appointed Todd Park as the administration's chief technology officer (CTO).

The post had been vacant after the departure of Aneesh Chopra last month.

Park served as CTO of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since August 2009.

"Todd Park has demonstrated a remarkable talent for enlisting innovative technologies to modernize government, reduce waste, and make government information more accessible to the public," Obama said in a statement.

"In his new position he will bring those skills to the entire federal enterprise, ensuring that government will serve all Americans fairly, effectively, and efficiently," Obama said.

The US CTO, a position that Obama created on his first day as president, is responsible for ensuring the adoption of innovative technologies to support administration priorities, including job creation, broader access to affordable health care, enhanced energy efficiency, a more open government, and national and homeland security, according to the White House.

In his work at HHS, Park led the creation of HealthCare.gov, which promotes the president's healthcare legislation and allows consumers to compare health insurance plans by zip code.