Amid a string of new hires, Verily, the healthcare and life sciences sister company of Google, named former FDA Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, as the head of its clinical research business.
Four things to know:
1. Dr. Abernethy will serve as president of Verily's clinical research business, which includes the company's clinical research and data collection program, Baseline.
2. Dr. Abernethy will oversee overall product vision and development under Verily's clinical research portfolio. The company plans to expand Baseline into a full-scale clinical evidence generation platform to support a wider range of clinical trials and real-world evidence studies, according to a June 3 news release.
3. Dr. Abernethy most recently served as the principal deputy commissioner and acting CIO of the FDA. While at the agency, she managed its technology and data modernization and launched its COVID-19 accelerator project to boost real-world data collection.
4. Dr. Abernethy's appointment is the latest in a series of executive hires at Verily. Last month, the company welcomed Kerrier Peraino as its new chief people officer, and in April it appointed its first chief revenue officer, Lisa Greenbaum. In January, Verily welcomed Preston Simons as CIO, and Andreas "Drew" Panayiotou as chief marketing officer.