Indian-origin Ashish Jha to leave US Covid Coordinator post

Indian-American physician Dr Ashish Jha, the White House's point person on the Covid-19 response, will leave the US administration towards the end of June, an official statement said.

Jha, 52, was appointed as the White House Covid-19 Coordinator in April 2022 and will return to Brown University, where he had served as the dean of the varsity's school of public health. His departure comes after the federal government ended its twin national emergencies on the virus earlier this spring.

In the statement announcing Jha's departure on Thursday, President Joe Biden said Covid-19 “no longer controls our daily lives."

"For the last year, I have relied on Dr Ashish Jha to help me do just that as the White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator. As one of the leading public health experts in America, he has effectively translated and communicated complex scientific challenges into concrete actions that helped save and improve the lives of millions of Americans," Biden said in the statement.

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"When I took office, our nation was facing a once-in-a generation pandemic, hit with a virus that changed everything. Thanks to my administration’s whole-of-government approach, we now have the tools to manage Covid-19 and the virus no longer controls our daily lives," the president added.

In a separate statement, Brown University said that Jha will join the university as dean of School of Public Health on July 1, as the interim Dean Ronald Aubert continues his leadership through the close of Brown’s academic and fiscal years before taking on the permanent role of senior associate dean of education at the school.

Brown University's interim provost Larry Larson praised Jha’s public service and also the strong leadership of SPH during his temporary leave.

"Ashish’s willingness to serve the nation in a moment of such tremendous challenge, and his commitment to focusing on science and solutions, sets an excellent example for every aspiring public health leader,” Larson said.

"We’re excited to welcome him back to Brown. At the same time, we are deeply grateful to Ron Aubert for his outstanding leadership in ensuring continued positive momentum at the School of Public Health," he said.

In his first 18 months as dean, Jha introduced a series of high-impact initiatives, championing an expansive portfolio of research and education priorities, and recruiting world-class faculty with expertise in global health, information disorders, health policy reform, and pandemic preparedness and response.

“We are in a world drastically altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. For all we have accomplished to reduce illness and save lives, Covid-19 has exposed the weaknesses in our public health and health care systems. I look forward to returning to Brown to continue our groundbreaking work transforming public health education, research and practice to convert these weaknesses to strengths," he said.