Karen DeSalvo to retire as Google Health’s Chief Health Officer

USA – Dr. Karen DeSalvo, a longtime leader in medicine, public health, and health technology, has announced plans to retire this summer.

DeSalvo, who became Google Health’s first-ever Chief Health Officer in 2019, shared the news in a LinkedIn post on Friday.

In her post, she reflected on her journey at Google, saying it was a privilege to bring the company’s resources into the health space.

“There is no other place to do that at the scale we can than at Google where hundreds of millions come to us every day in their most critical moments,” she wrote. “It is a gift for helping people at a scale unimaginable as a brand new doctor in 1992.”

Under her leadership, Google Health grew its role in healthcare. The company responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded its research footprint through Google Health Studies, and made progress in AI-powered tools and health devices.

Google also integrated Fitbit into its portfolio after acquiring the company in 2021. Health initiatives were rolled out across Android, YouTube, Google Search, and Pixel devices, with the launch of Health Connect helping to unify health and fitness data across different apps.

As artificial intelligence has advanced, Google Health has been developing technologies to support care delivery, assist clinicians, and speed up scientific discovery.

These include AI tools to improve breast cancer screening, boost the accuracy of genomic analysis, and power diagnostic systems like the Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer, a project from Google Research focused on generative AI in medicine.

In announcing her retirement, DeSalvo also named her successor: Dr. Michael Howell, Google Health’s current Chief Clinical Officer.

She called him “the perfect person to take on the mantle” and continue the mission of using technology to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Before her time at Google, DeSalvo built a distinguished career in public health. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she helped rebuild the healthcare system in New Orleans, creating neighborhood-based clinics for underserved communities.

She served as New Orleans Health Commissioner and senior health advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu from 2011 to 2014.

In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed her as acting Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

She also led national policy on health IT as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology from 2014 to 2016.