Johnson & Johnson’s CEO joins Apple’s board

Apple has announced that Johnson & Johnson’s present CEO, Alex Gorsky, will be a part of its board of administrators. Gorsky’s transfer to Apple’s management crew (he’ll step down from his role at J&J in January) comes at a time when the corporate is focusing much more on well being and the way it could make knowledge extra accessible to customers and their docs.

In the press launch asserting Gorsky’s function at Apple, Tim Cook calls him “a visionary in healthcare” who has a “passion for technology.” Apple hasn’t saved its ambitions in well being a secret — the Apple Watch is essentially seen as a health gadget, and its customers can contribute data to various studies. Recent updates to iOS and watchOS have introduced new well being options that make it simpler to share medical information with docs or members of the family. With Gorsky on the board, Apple may faucet him for brand spanking new function concepts (corresponding to what new sensors it may add to the Apple Watch) or use his experience so as to add extra integrations with the medical institution.

Apple and Johnson & Johnson have current ties — the 2 firms are working collectively on the Heartline study, which is designed to see if the Apple Watch might help detect atrial fibrillation earlier than signs turn out to be apparent or harmful.

Apple’s well being efforts haven’t been with out controversy, although. Some medical researchers have stated that Apple’s lack of transparency into its algorithms to measure issues like coronary heart price makes it troublesome to make use of knowledge from Apple Watches in analysis. There have additionally been studies from inside Apple that the well being division makes use of doubtlessly deceptive knowledge to make product selections, and workers additionally raised considerations about Apple’s plans for a trial the place it could act as a major healthcare supplier.

It’s potential that having somebody with expertise may assist Apple navigate these potential hurdles and make the Apple Watch an much more highly effective well being instrument (although Johnson & Johnson confronted its fair share of controversies since Gorsky became CEO in 2012). It’s additionally potential that it’s extra of a symbolic transfer to emphasise Apple’s deal with well being — we’ll solely be capable to inform by seeing what Apple does with well being sooner or later or if Grosky seems on stage at WWDC to speak a few collaboration between J&J and Apple.