Welcome to Pulse Summer 2026, where Louise and George revisit the Pulse Pod archives to bring you a curated set of interviews which will challenge and inspire.

Back in late 2024, we were joined in the studio by Dr Karen DeSalvo — Chief Health Officer at Google, former US National Coordinator for Health IT, public health leader, clinician, and one of the most thoughtful voices globally on how technology, policy and equity intersect in healthcare.

We covered a lot of ground in this conversation — from Karen’s journey as a physician and public health leader, to why patient access to their own health information still matters deeply; from AI’s role in drug discovery and clinical practice, to how generative AI could transform public health, prevention, and global health equity at scale.

“Dr Google”, herself personifies what it means to be human and to put people first in everything she does.

Follow Karen on LinkedIn Link

Google Resources:

AI in Action: Accelerating Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals Link

Transforming Public Health Practice with GenAI. Health Affairs Link

Google Open Health Stack Link

Google for StartUps Growth Academy Link

The Keyword Blog: AI and Health collection Link

The Check Up with Google Health Link

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Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric