As a world renowned medical expert and leader, Dr. Birx has focused her work on clinical and basic immunology, infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, vaccine research, and global health. Most recently, Dr. Birx served as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator. Dr. Birx recently completed her first book entitled Silent Invasion, published by HarperCollins.
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. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, she oversaw the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history.
Dr. Birx began her career with the Department of Defense as a military trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. Dr. Birx led RV 144, or the Thai trial, one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history, which provided the first supporting evidence of any vaccine’s potential effectiveness in preventing HIV infection.
Dr. Birx’s honors include two U.S. Meritorious Service Medals, the Legion of Merit Award, the CDC’s William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and 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.
