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Deborah Birx, former COVID-19 White House adviser, to join Texas Tech’s health center

Birx served in the Trump administration, helping states navigate COVID-19. Her work in public health largely focused on HIV and AIDS.

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White House Coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and Vice President Mike Pence during a daily coronavirus response briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 27, 2020.
Then-White House Coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and Vice President Mike Pence during a daily coronavirus response briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 27, 2020. Birx is joining the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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LUBBOCK — Deborah L. Birx, the doctor and public health expert who served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator during the peak of the pandemic, is joining the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock.

Birx will serve as the center’s presidential adviser and an adjunct professor at the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health, the university announced Wednesday.

“Dr. Birx brings with her a distinguished background in global health and is known for leading improvements in health care on a national scope,” said President Lori Rice-Spearman said. “We are honored to have her on the team and excited to welcome her to the TTUHSC family.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Birx worked closely with state officials and then-President Donald Trump on decision making and public health guidance. Birx has also focused much of her career on HIV and AIDS. She served as the director of the CDC’s Division of Global HIV/AIDS, then overseeing the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2014.

“Her expertise will greatly contribute to efforts in yielding science in service to people as we work with community partners to identify and address health challenges specifically in rural areas of West Texas,” Rice-Spearman said.

Birx’s position is partially funded with a gift from the Permian Strategic Partnership, a coalition of energy companies that focuses on education, road safety and health care among other issues in West Texas.

Disclosure: Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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