Raj Panjabi: bringing a global outlook to the US pandemic response

Abstract

In February, 2022, US President Joe Biden appointed global health physician and epidemiologist Raj Panjabi as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the White House National Security Council in Washington, DC, which advises Biden on foreign policy and security issues. In this position, Panjabi's presence ensures that global health threats “are considered in discussions of national security and foreign policy, and are not an afterthought”, said Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health and HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Washington, DC.