YouTube is unveiling a new health partnerships team to address the evolving digital health needs of consumers and the desire for clinicians to be able to communicate beyond the exam room. With more than two billion signed-in monthly users, YouTube offers a unique opportunity for clinicians around the world to expand their reach. As part of this ongoing commitment to supporting credible health information, YouTube is working with respected organizations, including the American Public Health Association, Cleveland Clinic, The Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health, Mayo Clinic, Osmosis, Psych Hub, and the National Academy of Medicine, to create high quality health content for viewers around the world. Additionally, the team is partnering with up and coming healthcare creators such as Dr. Natalie Crawford, Dr. Ali Mattu, Dr. Cedric "Jamie" Rutland to further build their audience on YouTube.

Dr. Garth Graham, Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships at YouTube, will oversee these new initiatives. Dr. Graham brings deep public health expertise, having served in two US administrations as US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health, and as Assistant Dean for Health Policy and Chief of Health Services Research at the University of Florida School of Medicine, President of the Aetna Foundation and Chief Community Health Officer at CVS Health. He is a cardiologist and holds both an M.D. and M.P.H. from Yale.

Dr. Graham is part of the wider Google Health clinical team, headed by Dr. Karen DeSalvo. This team provides medical and scientific expertise across Google products and services. Dr. Graham's remit is specifically focused on YouTube.

Today's announcement is the latest step in YouTube's efforts to bring quality content from authoritative, evidence-based sources front and center on the platform. With a focus on Credible Information (Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment), Guided Practices (Fitness Classes, Physical Therapy Demonstrations), and Emotional Support (Testimonials, Community), the content from YouTube's health collaborators is seeking to empower patients, while keeping clinicians at the heart of how health is managed.

There is a clear need for more trusted and easy to understand health content online. There is a gap between user expectations, formed by their experiences as users of apps and services that were built for online-first, and the way that the healthcare ecosystem educates and connects with patients. The majority of existing health information online is predominantly text-based and lacks the accessibility, depth and engagement that patients seek.

"When I became a physician, I saw my purpose as helping my patients live their healthiest and best lives. I know first-hand that it means enabling people to take ownership of their health and how it's managed," said Dr. Garth Graham, MD, MPH, Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships, YouTube. "Providing individualized care means meeting people where they are, making complex clinical topics easy-to-understand and

fostering a sense of belonging to patients no matter where they are from or what they look like. Video is an equalizer, which is why so many people already turn to YouTube for health support. That's why we feel a strong responsibility to ensure our platform empowers more people to make healthy changes and find a community centered around evidence-based expert information they can take to their doctors and apply in their daily lives. It is our mission to make public health truly public."

Additional partnerships will continue to roll out throughout 2021 and beyond, both in the US and globally. Next month, YouTube will bring together a group of leading public health experts for a virtual health event, to focus on increased health education for the public and reaching patients at scale.

Creators will continue to be an important part of YouTube's health initiatives, given their ability to foster connection with their global audiences in real time. For example, amidst the unfolding pandemic, YouTube creators across the world conducted more than 60 interviews with leading health officials to share helpful COVID-19 information with their audiences. Creator health interviews have received more than 65 million views worldwide, and we look forward to more of these conversations in the year ahead.