Deborah Birx Finds New Jobs

Retired public health official will work for Bush Institute, among others
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 12, 2021 5:30 PM CST
Deborah Birx Finds New Jobs
Dr. Deborah Birx speaks about the coronavirus last March at the White House.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

A year after the Trump White House announced she'd be coordinating its coronavirus response, Deborah Birx has found new work—and plenty of it. The George W. Bush Institute said Friday that Birx will be joining as a senior fellow concentrating on health disparities, Politco reports. A public health official for four decades, she'll work on other global health initiatives, as well. 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, per the Hill, Birx said she's "thrilled to be working with the incredible people and impactful programs at the Bush Institute." Birx retired as the Biden administration came into office. She was not asked to stay on when her colleague, Anthony Fauci, was.

According to a regulatory filing, Birx also joined the board of a Bay Area investment firm. Innoviva receives royalties from some lucrative GlaxoSmithKline medicines. Birx did not comment on that position. And a Texas company said it's hired Birx, too, as chief scientific and medical adviser, per Reuters. ActivePure Technology makes products that it says reduce the presence of the 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 soured on her as he pushed for the nation's economy to reopen quickly during the pandemic and her assessment remained grim. Democrats and others criticized Birx for not pushing back on his suggestions to thwart the virus, such as ingesting disinfectants. (More Deborah Birx stories.)

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