*He is wasting no time. President-elect Biden on Monday named several health experts who will serve on his coronavirus task force when he takes office.
The experts include Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) who said he was forced out of his position earlier this year after opposing the Trump administration’s pressure to promote unproven treatments.
Also appointed is bioethicist and oncologist Zeke Emanuel, who served as former adviser to the Obama administration on the Affordable Care Act and is the brother of former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
Atul Gawande, a surgeon who served as advisor to the Clinton and Obama administrations, will also serve on the panel.
Other experts who will serve as co-chairs include Vivek Murthy, a former surgeon general who served under the Obama administration; David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; and Marcella Nunez-Smith, an associate professor of internal medicine, public health and management and the founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center, reports The Hill. The three also served as advisers on Biden’s campaign.
“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” the president-elect said in a statement.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius told The Hill last week that she expected the task force could begin holding briefings before Biden takes office in January.
“I think that’s quite likely that would occur right away,” she said Friday.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
