White House Covid czar Ashish Jha returning to Brown

“We are a stronger and healthier nation because of his contributions to public service,” says Biden

After leading federal response to the pandemic as White House Covid-19 response coordinator for 14 months, Indian American physician Dr. Ashish Jha is returning to his role as dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health.

Jha, 52, will resume leadership of the School of Public Health on July 1 with a focus on transforming public health education, research and practice, Providence, Rhode Island, based university announced.

In a June 8 statement extending “my deepest thanks to Ashish and his family,” President Joe Biden said he had relied on Jha in dealing with “a once-in-a generation pandemic, hit with a virus that changed everything.”

READ: Biden names Ashish Jha Covid-19 Response Coordinator (March 17, 2022)

“When I took office, our nation was facing a once-in-a generation pandemic, hit with a virus that changed everything,” he stated.

“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.”

“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,” Biden stated.

“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,” he said.

“I extend my deepest thanks to Ashish and his family. We are a stronger and healthier nation because of his contributions to public service,” he said.

In a Brown University statement, Jha said his return to Brown offers an opportunity to employ insights from the nation’s pandemic response as educators across the school focus on training the next generation of public health leaders.

“We are in a world drastically altered by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. “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.”

READ: No Need to panic over rising omicron cases: Dr. Ashish Jha (December 20, 2021)

Brown 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.”

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, Larson noted.

READ: Ashish Jha is new dean of Brown School of Public Health (September 15, 2020)

“I’m grateful to the scholars, educators and students who have continued to advance Dean Jha’s vision and who make the School of Public Health a dynamic and impactful place to work and study,” Aubert said.

“Their collective research continues to improve lives in Rhode Island and around the world. We are all very excited about the return of Dean Jha and look forward to quickly translating his real-world, real-time policy work into the educational experience of our students.”