Alphabet subsidiary Verily has pulled off a recruitment coup, hiring former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf as a company advisor.
The former cardiologist broke the news personally via a blog post on the Verily website, one day after CNBC’s Christina Farr first reported that Califf and Verily were in talks.
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It comes at a critical time for Verily, formerly known as Google Life Sciences, as top talent departs and CEO Andrew Conrad’s leadership is once again called into question.
A 2016 investigation by STAT News identified a dozen top managers, scientists, and engineers that had left the well-funded startup. Through interviews, Conrad emerged as a key source of discontent.
The most recent departure came earlier this month, with the loss of Tom Insel as head of its mental health endeavors. Insel was with the company for less than two years. Other high-profile figures, including Verily’s chief scientific officer and a key scientist, have resigned since the investigation was published.
That all adds to the allure of Califf, who appears to be on board with both Verily and Conrad.
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“In 2004, I met a creative entrepreneur named Andy Conrad. Despite our differences—he’s a Californian with a PhD in cell biology who surfs and I’m a South Carolinian golfer with an MD—we found common ground in a vision that there had to be a way to translate the astonishing technology and communication capabilities that were transforming other industries to the arena of healthcare,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/calif001/status/864890042048761860
Along with Verily, Califf has also taken a role at Duke Univerity, forming a human bridge between healthcare convergence in Silicon Valley and academic institutions.
“Although we are in the midst of an explosion of capability in the worlds of computing and information, we are still learning how to translate this capacity into better health and healthcare,” Califf stated. “Bridging this gap has been a recurring theme of my career, and it’s at the heart of what I hope to accomplish at both institutions.”
As head of the FDA, Califf was involved in Project Baseline, an ambitious four-year, 10,000-participant study launched by Verily, Duke, and Stanford University. He will now cross over and advise from the sponsors’ perspective as the project works to develop a 21st-century approach to personalized healthcare.
A spokesperson for Verily declined to share details about Califf’s specific role, beyond what was included in the blog post.
Califf resigned from the FDA in January at the request of the incoming president. After several months of uncertainty, Scott Gottlieb was chosen as his replacement. This, coincidentally, also happens to be Gottlieb’s first week.
Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images
