Who is Dr Ashish Jha, White House's new Covid-19 response coordinator

New Delhi: Dr Ashish Jha is an Indian-American doctor who was appointed as the new White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator by President Joe Biden on Thursday.

The 51-year-old Bihar-born Jha replaced Jeff Zients, a management consultant and former top economic adviser to President Barack Obama.

Ashish Jha was appointed to lead the School of Public Health in February 2020, weeks before the Covid pandemic hit the US and then he began as dean in September 2020.

Later, Jha joined the University after leading the Harvard Global Health Institute and teaching at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School.

Jha was born in Pursaulia, Bihar in 1970 and moved to Canada in 1979 and then to the United States in 1983.

After earning a bachelor`s degree in economics from Columbia University in 1992 and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1997, he trained in internal medicine at the University of California in San Francisco.

Ashish Jha then completed his general medicine fellowship at Brigham & Women`s Hospital at Harvard Medical School and received his master of public health in 2004 from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

According to Joe Biden’s statement, Dr Jha is one of the leading public health experts in America and a well-known figure to many Americans from his wise and calming public presence

Biden also appreciated both Jeff and Dr Jha for working closely to ensure a smooth transition, and he looks forward to continued progress in the months ahead.

Taking to Twitter Dr Jha said: "So, as they say...Some news. For all the progress we`ve made in this pandemic(and there is a lot). We still have important work to do to protect Americans` lives and well-being. So, when @POTUS asked me to serve, I was honoured to have the opportunity."

Meanwhile, in a statement, Brown`s School of Public Health said that Dr Jha, "The dean of Brown`s School of Public Health a globally recognized expert on pandemic preparedness and response, will take leave for a temporary assignment to serve in the critical federal government role."

According to the school, Jha is a practising physician with deep expertise in infectious diseases.

(With ANI inputs)