One of the biggest names in medical research has joined Apple and will likely provide a huge boost to the company’s medical efforts.
Stephen Friend, co-founder and former president of Sage Bionetworks, accepted a job at Apple recently, and although the two sides are keeping quiet on what exactly Friend will be doing, he’ll likely be one of the leaders of the company’s growing digital health team.
Friend and Sage Bionetworks have had a close connection with Apple since before the company launched its ResearchKit platform in 2015. Sage launched two of the first five apps that used ResearchKit to study Parkinson’s and breast cancer
“As chairman of the Board, Dr. Friend will continue to work with Sage at a strategic level while stepping away from responsibility for day to day operations,” Sage announced in a press release. “Dr. Friend has accepted a position with Apple Inc. where he will work on health related projects.”
Before co-founding Sage Bionetworks, Friend was an executive at Merck, specializing in cancer researcher and oncology research. He also was a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty.
via: Business Insider
