Google's Chief Health Officer Karen DeSalvo to Retire, Successor Named

Karen DeSalvo, Google's chief health officer and a prominent figure in healthcare technology and policy, has announced her retirement from the tech giant, effective August 1, 2025. The news marks a significant shift in Google's healthcare leadership and comes at a time when the company continues to expand its presence in the health sector.

DeSalvo's Tenure and Accomplishments

During her time at Google, DeSalvo played a pivotal role in shaping the company's health initiatives. Her tenure was marked by several key achievements:

• Spearheading Google's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Enhancing access to reliable health information through Google Search and YouTube
• Overseeing the company's growing efforts in artificial intelligence for healthcare applications

DeSalvo joined Google in 2019 as its first chief health officer, bringing with her a wealth of experience from her time in the public sector. Prior to her role at Google, she served in the Obama administration as the acting assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as the national coordinator for health information technology.

Leadership Transition

Michael Howell, currently serving as Google's chief clinical officer, has been named as DeSalvo's successor. Howell, who previously worked as chief quality officer at University of Chicago Medicine, will take the helm of Google's healthcare initiatives following DeSalvo's departure.

The transition in leadership comes as Google continues to invest in and expand its healthcare-related products and services. While the company will not be seeking a replacement for the chief clinical officer role, it has confirmed that it will maintain a clinical team working across various products and divisions.