Indian-American doctor Atul Gawande joins Joe Biden's transition COVID-19 taskforce

On Monday, Indian-American doctor Atul Gawande became a part of the newly announced transition coronavirus advisory board led by the US President-elect Joe Biden. The 55-year-old Boston-based surgeon, in a tweet, expressed confidence that the pandemic can be brought under control, and lives and livelihoods can be saved.

'Grateful and honored'

Gawande is a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is also a professor at Harvard Medical School. He is also a Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Known for his writings and books about the medical field, the surgeon was a senior adviser in the US Department of Health and Human Services under former President Bill Clinton.

Dr. Gawande had been a part of Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, before joining medical school. He earlier served as a senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration. In 2007, he led the World Health Organisation's global effort to decrease surgical deaths.

READ | President-elect Biden gets task force virus briefing

Further, Gawande has authored four books, including Being Mortal which deals with the subject of end-of-life care. This year, after two years as CEO, he was named chairman of Haven, a health-care venture focused on improving health outcomes, patient experience, and costs of care. His father Atmaram Gawande, who was born in Maharashtra, and his mother Sushila Gawande, who hailed from Gujarat, had met in New York during medical school. They got married and moved to Athens, Ohio to practice medicine.

Gawande was born in Brooklyn and was raised in Ohio. He went to Stanford where he studied biology and politics and later was, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where he earned his master's in philosophy, politics, and economics in 1989. 

READ | Biden says goal is to reduce COVID-19 spread and save lives

Biden's Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board

Biden's Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board is co-chaired by former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Yale associate professor of medicine and epidemiology.

Team Biden-Harris announced the formation of the Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, in a statement. The board will comprise of a team of leading public health experts who will advise President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and the Transition's COVID-19 staff.

The leading scientists and public health experts of the Board will discuss with state and local officials to determine the public health and economic steps necessary to get the virus under control. It will also work to deliver immediate relief to working families, and address the ongoing racial and ethnic disparities. The board will also assist in reopening schools and businesses safely and effectively in the country.

READ | Biden and Canadian PM speak over phone, reaffirm close bond of bilateral relationship

READ |After Biden win, McConnell says Trump OK to fight election

(With inputs from ANI)