The surgeon, professor, health care leader, and best-selling author joins leading public health and scientific experts to advise the Biden-Harris Transition on the country’s COVID-19 response
BOSTON, MA, November 9, 2020 — Dr. Atul Gawande—founder and chair of Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital surgeon, Harvard professor, and best-selling author—was named today as a member of President-elect Biden’s Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. The COVID-19 Advisory Board is a team of leading public health experts who will advise President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and the Transition’s COVID-19 staff.
“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. “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.”
Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It was founded by Dr. Gawande to design and scale health system solutions that can produce better care and better lives for everyone everywhere. Through Ariadne Labs, Dr. Gawande has worked with state and federal agencies, the World Health Organization, and health care systems across the country and the world to improve system outcomes in surgery, primary health care, childbirth, serious illness care, as well as in epidemics including H1N1, Ebola, the opioid crisis, and COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly all aspects of health care delivery and the day-to-day lives of patients, providers, and populations, Ariadne Labs has focused on developing simple, scalable solutions in seven priority areas: Community Mitigation, Vaccine Delivery and Testing, Global Response, Seniors and Vulnerable People, Safe Surgery and Safe Systems, Obstetrics and Outpatient Care. Solutions have drawn on new research, front-line clinical experience, and Ariadne Labs’ resources and accumulated knowledge.
Dr. Gawande’s coronavirus work with Ariadne has included scaling COVID-19 testing, demonstrating how other countries have successfully protected healthcare workers, developing tools to guide decision makers with vaccine allocation planning, and managing COVID-19 in surgical systems.
In addition to his role as Founder and Governing Council Chair of Ariadne Labs, Dr. Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, is the Cyndy and John Fish Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Samuel O. Thier Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Gawande is also chair of Lifebox, a nonprofit organization making surgery safer globally, and of Haven, the health care venture founded by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase. He is the author of four New York Times bestselling books, including Being Mortal, and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. He previously served as a senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration.
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About Ariadne Labs
Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. We develop simple, scalable solutions that dramatically improve the delivery of health care at critical moments to save lives and reduce suffering. Our vision is for health systems to deliver the best possible care for every patient, everywhere, every time. Visit ariadnelabs.org to learn more and covid19.ariadnelabs.org to learn about Ariadne Labs’ response to COVID-19.
Media Contact: Brigid Tsai, btsai@ariadnelabs.org