The team of public health experts advising President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and the covid-19 staff is made up of scientists, physicians with decades of experience in disease control and prevention, and advocates in health equity issues.

“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,” said President-elect Biden in November. “The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”

The Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board is led by co-chairs Dr. David Kessler, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Dr. Beth Cameron and Dr. Rebecca Katz are serving as advisors to the Transition on COVID-19 and will work closely with the Advisory Board.

Female members of the advisory board include Luciana Borio, MD, vice president, and a member of the technical staff at In-Q-Tel. She is also a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Borio specializes in biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, medical product development, and public health emergencies. She served in senior leadership positions at the FDA and National Security Council. (The photo above was taken at a 2015 FDA Science Writers Symposium).

Celine Gounder, MD is a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and cares for patients at Bellevue Hospital Center. From 1998 to 2012, Dr. Gounder studied TB and HIV in South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Brazil. While on faculty at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Gounder was the director for delivery for the Gates Foundation-funded Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS/TB Epidemic. She later served as assistant commissioner and director of the Bureau of Tuberculosis Control at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Currently, Julie Morita, MD, is executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). She previously served as the health commissioner for the City of Chicago for two decades. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has served on many committees, including the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Community Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States.

Loyce Pace, MPH, is the executive director and president of the Global Health Council. Over the course of her career, Loyce has championed policies for access to essential medicines and health services worldwide. Ms. Pace has worked with Physicians for Human Rights and Catholic Relief Services, and previously served in leadership positions at the LIVESTRONG Foundation and the American Cancer Society.