Bridging patients and platforms

What role can Google play in transforming healthcare with AI?

Our latest episode features Dr. Justin Chen, a clinical specialist at Google, who shares his remarkable journey from biomedical engineering to oncology to innovating in healthcare at scale at one of the biggest tech companies in the
world.

At Google, Justin acts as a bridge clinical insight and technical execution, whether that’s evaluating outputs from large language models, advising product teams, or engaging with leaders across the healthcare ecosystem. His work aligns with Google’s mission to help everyone, everywhere live a longer, healthier life and anchors on four pillars: advancing technology, meeting people where they are, enabling organizational transformation, and strengthening healthcare as a global ecosystem.

We discuss how initiatives like med-Gemini and the open-weight model Med-Gemma are pushing the boundaries of AI in medicine, as well as the challenges of translating these tools into real-world clinical value in what he calls the current “prove it” phase.

Justin also shares candid reflections on balancing patient care with his work in tech, why maintaining clinical practice matters to him, and his advice to medical innovators: embrace discomfort, lean into risks, and be a “volume shooter.”

This episode is a must listen for anyone navigating the intersection of clinical medicine, AI, and healthcare innovation.