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As Verily aims to get on track, the Alphabet life science company has hired Andrew Trister, an oncologist and veteran of big technology companies and research, as its new chief scientific officer.

Trister will lead Verily’s population health initiatives, including public health solutions like the company’s ongoing work to combat disease-carrying mosquito populations and a program that helps wastewater treatment plants monitor for pathogens. He will also consult across Verily’s diverse projects.

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Trister’s focus on public health will build on his recent role as a deputy director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led digital health, including a project to build tech infrastructure to help with malaria testing. Trister also led the foundation’s Covid-19 response. In 2016, he was an early health hire at Apple. There, he worked on programs like a heart health study with Janssen, an app to promote healthy habits with Aetna, and research into digital biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease with Eli Lilly and Evidation.

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