Q&A with Brooke Nelson, Chief Compliance Officer at Verily, on ethics and compliance as a strategic advantage in healthcare

Can you share why you have joined Verily?

I joined Verily because the company is uniquely positioned to leverage technology and data to make a difference in people’s health. I was so impressed by the people I met during my interview process and am excited to be part of such an incredibly talented team with an innovative mindset and a big ambition to improve our healthcare system - rather than finding a few isolated solutions.

From a personal perspective, I have a family history of pancreatic cancer and know the value of making health care personalized and accessible to everyone. While advancements continue, the type of mutant KRAS that is most common in pancreatic tumors is generally considered ‘undruggable.’ However, for certain types of patients, those who receive precision medicine in the form of treatment that matches their tumor biology live a full year longer than those that do not. Certain inherited genetic mutations have been connected to pancreatic cancer, but I ran into roadblocks from insurance and health care providers while trying to be proactive about my own health through genetic testing and surveillance programs.

To get the right treatment for my mother when she was initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the type of proactive measures I wanted to take, I had to leverage my experience with and connections in the healthcare industry, which are advantages that are not available to everyone and should not be prerequisites for getting the right care.

How will your new role of Chief Compliance Officer contribute to Verily’s growth as a business?

An effective compliance program is a strategic competitive advantage, particularly given that we want to make a significant difference in people’s health as quickly as possible. We have a terrific ethical and compliance culture at Verily, built on integrity, collaboration and a focus on improving access to better care for everyone. A key role that compliance plays is seeking ways to improve how we communicate the guardrails we need to follow through on our policies, procedures and training. We are in a highly regulated industry and simple and clear internal guidance lets people know when they can move forward, when to ask for help and how to get the right type of assistance.

What are you most excited about as you come into your new role?

I am excited to see what great new ideas are coming next from the Verily team and how compliance can support this work.