Deborah Birx to become fellow at George W. Bush Institute

Former White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx will be joining the George W. Bush Institute as a fellow, according to a statement released Friday.

The organization said Birx will use her knowledge in global health, pandemic response and health systems to support the Bush Institute.

Birx will also work on policy initiatives aimed at bettering America’s position to tackle future health disparities based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former White House health official said in the statement that she is “thrilled to be working with the incredible people and impactful programs at the Bush Institute.”

“The Bush Institute programs put people at the center, recognizing we are stronger when we listen to each other, learn from one another, and come together to do things bigger than any of us could do alone,” she said.

Birx previously worked with the Institute on Go Further, a public-private partnership aimed at reducing new cervical cancer cases in women living with HIV in 12 African countries. 

Birx, who had served as the U.S. Global Aids coordinator, most recently gained national spotlight for her role as White House coronavirus task force coordinator under former President Trump. She retired from the position as President Biden took office. 

In late January, Birx gave an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” detailing her time serving in the Trump administration. She admitted that she often considered resigning from the coronavirus task force and said that someone was presenting the president with a “parallel set of data” on COVID-19 during her time.