US President-elect Joe Biden has announced a dozen individuals who will be advising him and his transition team on the COVID-19 pandemic, Vox reports.
The advisory board will be chaired by former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Yale University's Marcella Nunez-Smith. As Vox notes, the board encompasses scientists, doctors, and public health officials, including ones who have been critical of the Trump Administration response to the pandemic — Rick Bright, the former head of BARDA, even filed a whistleblower complaint against the Trump Administration.
According to MIT's Technology Review, the board is to guide the development of the incoming Biden Administration's policies, noting that on the campaign trail, President-elect Biden made a number of pandemic-related promises, including to provide national guidance on the coronavirus.
"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," President-elect Biden says in a statement. "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."
In addition to Bright, the board includes Luciana Borio, Ezekiel Emanuel, Atul Gawande, Eric Goosby, Celine Gounder, Julie Morita, Michael Osterholm, Loyce Pace, and Robert Rodriguez.