Dr. Deborah Birx was drawn to science from a very young age. Along with her siblings, and with the full support of her parents, Dr. Birx soldered circuit boards, searched for fossils, and recorded measurements of solar eclipses while other kids her age colored and played hopscotch.
Her early scientific exploration led Dr. Birx to study chemistry in college, where she became fascinated by infectious diseases. That fascination led her to medical school, the bedside, the lab, and eventually a 40+ year career as a public health servant.
Throughout her career, Dr. Birx looked to the data for guidance. The data, she tells us, helps you to understand what is going on. From there, Dr. Birx adds, you’ve got to act. First, by planning your response, and second, by implementing your solution in the community. Dr. Birx tells us the second part is often lacking in the U.S. – “sometimes people in public health forget the first word is public and it really means population. And you have to work with everybody in the public and everybody in the population. So, stop making excuses, stop blaming it on people and fix it.”
On this episode, we explore Dr. Birx’s path from childhood scientist, to practicing physician, researcher, director of CDC’s Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA), Ambassador-at-Large, and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator under President Donald Trump (and believe it or not, still much more in-between!).
We also discuss how there are 21st-century tools that are available today that can drastically change our experience with infectious disease and why we are not using them. Dr. Birx tells us “We don’t have to accept in the 21st century that we continue to succumb to infectious diseases”.
Dr. Deborah Birx will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming GBAC Symposium on Air Considerations in Chicago on August 16 and 17, 2022. The Symposium is focused on improving the quality of indoor air in non-healthcare settings. Dr. Birx will talk about that in the context of COVID, and Monkey Pox, outlining effective innovations that are available for use today.
Register today: https://gbac.issa.com/events/gbac-symposium-2022/register/
Check out Dr. Deborah Birx’s new book: Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late. It offers an inside account of the Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis including Dr. Birx’s work with CDC Director Robert Redfield, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and more.
“The most revealing pandemic book yet.”—The Atlantic
Dr. Deborah L. Birx, M.D.
Dr. Deborah L. Birx, M.D., has spent her first career serving the United States, as an Army Colonel and later, running some of the most high-profile and influential programs at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of State. Most recently, Dr. Birx served as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, where she made recommendations to the Vice President using complex data integration to drive decision-making, as well as worked closely with state officials across the country to provide state-specific advice and guidance. In 2014, Dr. Birx became an Ambassador-at-Large, when she assumed the role of the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Dr. Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader whose long career has focused on clinical and basic immunology, infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, she oversaw the spending of the $6 billion annual budget of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
She is dedicated to program improvement and change management to increase the health impact of every dollar spent; she has spent a lifetime mentoring young women in the Federal Government and translating science into effective implementation.
In 1985, Dr. Birx began her career with the Department of Defense (DoD) as a military trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. Through her professionalism and leadership in the field, she progressed to serve as the Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1996-2005. Dr. Birx lead one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history (known as RV 144 or the Thai trial), which provided the first supporting evidence of any vaccine’s potential effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. During this time, she also rose to the rank of Colonel, bringing together the Navy, Army, and Air Force in a new model of cooperation – increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Military’s HIV/AIDS efforts through inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Then known as Colonel Birx, she was awarded two prestigious U.S. Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award for her groundbreaking research, leadership and management skills during her tenure at the DoD.
From 2005-2014, Dr. Birx served successfully as the Director of CDC’s Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA) in the CDC Center for Global Health, where she utilized her leadership qualities, superior technical skills, and infectious passion to achieve tremendous public health impact. As DGHA Director, she led the implementation of CDC’s PEPFAR programs around the world and managed an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. Dr. Birx was responsible for all of the agency’s global HIV/AIDS activities, including providing oversight to more than 1900 staff, and more than 50 country and regional offices in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. Recognized for her distinguished and dedicated commitment to building local capacity and strengthening quality laboratory health services and systems in Africa, in 2011, Dr. Birx received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. In 2014, CDC honored her leadership in advancing the agency’s HIV/AIDS response with the highly prestigious William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence.
Dr. Birx is known for driving implementation improvements to increase impact and has spent a career increasing overall effectiveness of programs through change management. Dr. Birx has published over 230 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, authored nearly a dozen chapters in scientific publications, as well as developed and patented vaccines. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and beginning in 1980 she trained in internal medicine and basic and clinical immunology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Birx is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology.
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