Statement on the Passing of Former Inspector General June Gibbs Brown

HHS-OIG and the larger Inspectors General community have lost an incredible public servant and former colleague, June Gibbs Brown.

As a member of the first class of Inspectors General, IG Brown was nominated by President Carter to serve as the Inspector General for the Department of Interior, where she worked until 1981.  Under President Reagan, she became the IG for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and in 1987 she moved over to serve as the IG for the Department of Defense.

In 1993, IG Brown came to HHS-OIG where she served as the Inspector General until 2000.  Under her leadership, HHS-OIG was able to reduce significant loopholes in Medicare programs and help reduce fraud, waste, and abuse.  IG Brown was also responsible for introducing to HHS the self-disclosure protocol, which encouraged providers to bolster their compliance programs.  She built a workforce committed to fact-gathering and interagency collaboration—a legacy that lives on today.

HHS-OIG is indebted to IG Brown for her immense contribution to our work, her commitment to protecting the integrity of Federal health care programs, and her dedication to public service.  If we all have even a fraction of her spirit, dedication, and impact, we will leave our agency better for future generations.

In addition to leaving an incredible legacy, IG Brown is survived by her children.  I send my deepest condolences to her family as they mourn this enormous loss.

Christi A. Grimm
Inspector General, HHS-OIG