Scientist joins the 13-member expert panel formed by the U.S. president-elect to combat the coronavirus in the country

A Brazilian scientist has just been invited to join Joe Biden’s advisory council to combat the coronavirus and the effects of the pandemic in the United States. Following the invitation extended last week (9), Luciana Borio, who specializes in biodefense and holds a degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, joined 12 other scientists and public health experts to form the task force that will manage the effects and consequences of COVID-19 in the country. And now, do you want to know why Luciana caught the attention of the U.S. president-elect as someone important to be part of this team? Keep reading the article and learn more about the Rio de Janeiro native’s career in science!

The scientist previously served as chief scientist at the FDA and began working in the U.S. government during the George W. Bush administration

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Luciana has lived in the U.S. since the late 1980s and is well known for her extensive work in the field of infectious diseases. A specialist in biodefense, she is a senior global health researcher at the US Council on Foreign Relations, has served as acting chief scientist at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the country’s health regulatory agency, and also served as director of medical preparedness and biodefense at the National Security Council—which advises the White House. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in developing measures to address the H1N1 pandemic, the Ebola outbreak, and the Zika virus outbreak.

Her dedication to working for the U.S. government, incidentally, began during the George W. Bush administration, following the September 11 attacks, and continued in leadership positions during the years the country was governed by Barack Obama and Donald Trump. It is worth noting that she is part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ roster of experts, where people who leave government service often work until they are called to serve in another administration. Currently, Luciana is vice president of In-Q-Tel—an investment firm that accelerates the development and deployment of technologies for use by the U.S. government.

Luciana has become a well-known figure for her positions on Covid-19

While working as a White House advisor in 2018, Luciana warned that a flu pandemic could be the greatest health threat facing the country. At the time, during a lecture on the 100th anniversary of the Spanish flu, the scientist stated that the country would not be ready to handle a situation of such magnitude—but, that same month, her department, which would have been responsible for responding to such a pandemic, was shut down.

The following year, Luciana resigned from the White House, but remained close to the administration during this year’s Covid-19 crisis. An advocate for strengthening social distancing measures and increasing the number of tests among the population, she stated in an interview with Brazil Journal that, since we are in the “era of epidemics,” there must be global systems capable of detecting waves of disease so that necessary measures can be taken before they become pandemics affecting the entire world.

Furthermore, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the scientist has become one of the most vocal critics of the use of chloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19 before its efficacy was scientifically proven. When it comes to vaccines, her stance is also typically cautious. In an interview with Politico magazine, she said: “A definitive solution requires widespread availability of one or more safe and effective vaccines, but they won’t come that quickly. […] Even if it works, large-scale manufacturing and a considerable amount of time will be needed before it becomes available to everyone”.

As part of the council, Luciana will help Biden combat the coronavirus through science

Now, as part of the transition government’s task force—which will be led by doctors David Kessler, Marcella Nunez-Smith, and Vivek Murthy—Luciana has a long road ahead. The United States is the country most affected by the pandemic, both in terms of the number of confirmed cases and the number of deaths from Covid-19. On the council, the role of the scientist and other experts will be, in Biden’s words, “to manage the surge in reported infections; ensure that vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free of charge; and protect at-risk populations.”