(Newser)
– A year after the Trump White House announced it would coordinate its response to the coronavirus, Deborah Birx found new jobs – and many of them. The George W. Bush Institute said on Friday that Birx will join as a senior fellow, focusing on health disparities, reports Politco. A public health worker for four decades, she will also work on other global health initiatives. She had worked with the Bush Institute to reduce cervical cancer among women with HIV in Africa when she was in the federal government. In a statement by Hill, Birx said she is “thrilled to be working with amazing people and impactful programs at the Bush Institute”. Birx retired when the Biden government took office. She was not asked to stay when her colleague, Anthony Fauci, went.
According to a regulatory document, Birx also joined the board of an investment firm in the Bay Area. Innoviva receives royalties from some lucrative drugs from GlaxoSmithKline. Birx did not comment on this position. And a Texas company said it also hired Birx as a scientific consultant and chief physician, according to Reuters. ActivePure technology manufactures products that are said to reduce the presence of coronavirus on surfaces and in the air. After serving as global AIDS coordinator under President Obama, Birx became a national figure when Trump installed her on the White House task force. Trump was angry with her as he pushed for the country’s economy to reopen quickly during the pandemic and his assessment remained bleak. Democrats and others criticized Birx for not rejecting his suggestions to fight the virus, such as eating disinfectants. (Read more stories by Deborah Birx.)