COVID-19 Advisory Board

The COVID-19 Advisory Board was announced in November 2020 by President-elect of the United States Joe Biden as part of his presidential transition. It was co-chaired by physicians David A. Kessler, Marcella Nunez-Smith, and Vivek Murthy and comprises 13 health experts. The board was then succeeded by the White House COVID-19 Response Team upon Biden's presidency in January 2021.

COVID-19 Advisory Board

Transition logo for the President-elect of the United States Joe Biden
Agency overview
FormedNovember 2020
DissolvedJanuary 20, 2021[1][2]
Superseding agency
TypeAdvisory board
JurisdictionUnited States
Agency executives
Websitebuildbackbetter.gov

Background

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Before naming any White House staff or cabinet appointments, Biden announced that he will appoint a COVID-19 task force, co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University epidemiologist Professor Marcella Nunez-Smith.[3][4] In November 2020, he announced the names of 13 health experts to serve on the COVID-19 Advisory Board.[5] Biden pledged a more and larger federal government response to the pandemic than Donald Trump, akin to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression.[6] This would include increased testing for SARS-CoV-2, a steady supply of personal protective equipment, distributing a vaccine and securing money from Congress for schools and hospitals under the aegis of a national "supply chain commander" who would coordinate the logistics of manufacturing and distributing protective gear and test kits. This would be distributed by a "Pandemic Testing Board", also similar to Roosevelt's War Production Board during World War II.[6] Biden also pledged to invoke the Defense Production Act more aggressively than Trump in order to build up supplies, as well as the mobilization of up to 100,000 Americans for a "public health jobs corps" of contact tracers to help track and prevent outbreaks.[6]

Jeffrey Zients will work with the advisory board as the incoming White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator (czar).[7][8] Civil servant and political advisor, Natalie Quillian, will serve as Deputy Coronavirus Response Coordinator.[9]

Succession

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The board was dissolved on January 20, 2021, after President Biden was sworn in.[1][2]

Members

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There were 16 members of the COVID-19 advisory board, appointed by President of the United States Joe Biden. Three of the members, David A. Kessler, Vivek Murthy and Marcella Nunez-Smith, served as co-chairs.

Member Role Education Appointment
  David A. Kessler Former Commissioner of Food and Drugs
Co-chair
Amherst College (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)
Harvard University (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Marcella Nunez-Smith Yale School of Medicine associate dean for health equity research
Co-chair
Swarthmore College (BA)
Thomas Jefferson University (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Vivek Murthy Former Surgeon General of the United States
Co-chair
Harvard University (BA)
Yale University (MD, MBA)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Luciana Borio Former Acting Chief Scientist of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration George Washington University (MD) November 9, 2020[10]
  Rick Bright Former Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority University of Kansas
Auburn University, Montgomery (BS)
Emory University (MS, PhD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Ezekiel Emanuel Former Chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Amherst College (BA)
Exeter College, Oxford (MS)
Harvard University (MD, PhD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Atul Gawande Brigham and Women's Hospital professor of surgery Stanford University (BA, BS)
Balliol College, Oxford (MA)
Harvard University (MD, MPH)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Céline Gounder New York University School of Medicine assistant professor Princeton University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MS)
University of Washington, Seattle (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Julie Morita Executive Vice President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BS)
University of Illinois College of Medicine (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
Michael Osterholm Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Luther College (BA)
University of Minnesota (MS, MPH, PhD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Loyce Pace Executive Director and President of the Global Health Council Stanford University (BS)
Johns Hopkins University (MPH)
November 9, 2020[10]
Robert Rodriguez UCSF School of Medicine emergency medicine professor University of Notre Dame (BA)
Harvard University (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
  Eric Goosby Former United States Global AIDS Coordinator Princeton University (BA)
University of California, San Francisco (MD)
November 9, 2020[10]
Jane Hopkins Nurse at Harborview Medical Center and Snoqualmie Hospital November 28, 2020 [11][12]
Jill Jim Executive director of the Navajo Department of Health Northern Arizona University (BA)

University of Utah (MPH, PhD)

November 28, 2020 [13]
  David Michaels Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health Columbia University (MPH, PhD) November 28, 2020 [11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Facher, Lev (January 20, 2021). "Biden dissolves Covid-19 panel that advised his transition". STAT. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Pettypiece, Shannon (January 20, 2021). "Biden's Covid advisory board disbanded". NBC News. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Feuer, Will (November 7, 2020). "President-elect Joe Biden to announce Covid task force on Monday". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Mercia, Dan; Zeleny, Jeff (November 7, 2020). "Biden to announce coronavirus task force as part of presidential transition". CNN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Neuman, Scott (November 9, 2020). "Biden Names 13 Health Experts To COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board". NPR.org. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Goodnough, Abby; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (October 15, 2020). "Biden's Covid Response Plan Draws From F.D.R.'s New Deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  7. ^ MJ Lee and Kate Sullivan (December 3, 2020). "Jeffrey Zients is expected to be named Biden's coronavirus coordinator". CNN. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Zients, Murthy tapped to head up Biden's Covid-19 response". POLITICO. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "President-elect Joe Biden Announces Key Members of Health Team". Insider NJ. December 7, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Biden transition team unveils members of Covid-19 task force". STAT. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Landers, Jamie. "Navajo Nation's Jill Jim named to President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Bunin, Steve (December 3, 2020). "Meet the Seattle nurse appointed to Biden's COVID-19 advisory board". King5. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Landers, Jamie (November 28, 2020). "Navajo Nation's Jill Jim named to President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.