Whoop has chosen former FDA committee chair Dr. Ami Bhatt as its new chief medical officer who will lead the fitness tracker maker’s rapid pivot into consumer health.
The move was announced on Wednesday and Bhatt will be critical to the company spreading its reach beyond its popular wearables as deeper medical grade integration remains a priority for founder and CEO Will Ahmed.
“We’re entering a new era where every person can have a continuous 24/7 understanding of their health,” Ahmed said. “The companies that define this era will combine world-class technology with deep clinical credibility. Dr. Bhatt has helped shape the future of digital medicine and her leadership will help accelerate the next chapter for Whoop.”
Bhatt is the former inaugural chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Digital Health Advisory Committee and will also be tasked with solidifying Whoop’s ambition to proving its subscribers with daily fitness insights and metrics and eventually being a key stakeholder in their clinical care.
“I believe the first mile of healthcare begins in people’s everyday lives, well before they enter a clinic,” Bhatt said. “By combining the ongoing view of physiology provided by Whoop with clinical judgment and the responsible use of AI, we can give people greater agency in their health and clinicians a richer picture over time. I have spent my career focused on delivering high-quality care to people where they are. Whoop has been building toward that same vision, and now we have the opportunity to build it together.”
Whoop has been notably active so far this year as it positions itself for an eventual public offering after revealing in March that it raised $575 million on $10 billion valuation.
Last week a patent filed by the company revealed that it is working on a blood sugar monitoring device that would use advanced sensors instead of puncturing skin.
Days before the patent was revealed, Whoop announced that Kristen Moss would be its first chief communications officer in charge of “continued growth and increasing global visibility.”
The company is planning an ambitious expansion internally as it eyes boosting staff by around 75 percent by the end of the year.
