Yale professor Marcella Nunez-Smith named co-chair of Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force

Yale School of Medicine professor Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith has been named one of three co-chairs of Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, the president-elect announced Monday.

Nunez-Smith is an associate professor of internal medicine, public health, and management with a focus on healthcare equity. She will be joined as co-chair by Dr. David Kessler, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, and by Dr. Vivek Murthy, former surgeon general under President Barack Obama.

Nunez-Smith was also a member of Gov. Ned Lamont’s ReOpen Connecticut Advisory Group, co-chairing the community committe.

Biden’s task force additionally includes ten other experts from across the country, including Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who has sometimes advised Gov. Ned Lamont during the pandemic. The group will provide guidance to Biden and his transition team as the incoming administration preps to confront COVID-19.

“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said in a statement. “The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”

Nunez-Smith has a lengthy resume, including degrees from Swarthmore College, Jefferson Medical College and Yale. She is founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center, director of the Center for Research Engagement and deputy director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.

According to her bio on the Yale School of Medicine website, her research has focused on “promoting health and healthcare equity for structurally marginalized populations with an emphasis on supporting healthcare workforce diversity and development, developing patient reported measurements of healthcare quality, and identifying regional strategies to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases.”

Health equity has become central in national conversations about COVID-19, as Black, Latino and low-income Americans have been more likely to contract and die from the disease than other groups. The trend has held in Connecticut, where Black and Hispanic residents have been about twice as likely to die in connection with the coronavirus, after adjusting for age of population.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.

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