Dr. Sumbul Desai has become an important name within Apple. For those unfamiliar, she’s the company’s vice president of health and is directly involved with the development of the Apple Watch. In a recent interview with The Hindu Business Line, Dr. Desai discussed the future of health technologies on the Apple Watch and also about partnerships with Indian researchers.
In recent years, Dr. Desai has been the one chosen to introduce new Apple Watch health features such as the oximeter and body temperature sensor at Apple’s special events. As the VP of Health at Apple, she leads several of the company’s healthcare initiatives, including clinical product development and medical research partnerships.
Dr. Desai highlights Apple Watch health features and says there’s more to come
On a recent visit to Mumbai, one of India’s largest metropolitan centers, the executive told Business Line that Apple strongly believes that it can use technology to change people’s behavior when it comes to health, even though this is “one of the hardest things to do.”
The Apple Watch has become a health hub for many people around the world, as the device offers features such as heart rate measurement, ECG, and oximeter. For Dr. Desai, Apple is able to “empower an individual” by showing users how their own health data impacts their life. “There’s nothing more impactful than that,” the executive says.
When asked about privacy, the executive emphasized that all health data of Apple Watch users is encrypted and never sent to Apple’s servers if the user doesn’t want to share it. Apple’s VP of Health mentioned that heart rhythm notifications took an extra year to be announced because Apple wanted to ensure that it worked in a private way.
Desai also talked about the future of the Apple Watch. Amid rumors of the Apple Watch getting blood glucose monitoring technologies, the executive agreed that this is an important area but that it requires “a lot of science behind them.” A recent report revealed that Apple engineers have recently reached “major milestones” in developing a non-invasive blood glucose sensor, and that the project dates back to the Steve Jobs era.
As Dr. Sumbul Desai is Indian-American, she was also asked about how Apple sees its relationship with India when it comes to health. The executive told the report that India has a “world-class research community” and that Apple is always looking at opportunities in the country for health research.
More about Dr. Desai
In November last year, Dr. Desai was one of the speakers at Web Summit 2022. There, the executive also discussed how Apple Watch users have been living a healthier life thanks to the product. Desai also talked about how the device has been helping to save lives of people around the world in another interview last year.
- Apple’s VP of Health talks about Apple Watch strategy and partnerships with Indian researchers
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