People & Lifestyle
This is why Joe Biden appointed 26-year-old Nigerian – American, Osaremen Okolo as Covid-19 Policy Advisor
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have announced additional members of the White House COVID-19 Response team. These diverse, accomplished, and crisis-tested individuals will work to quickly implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government COVID-19 response strategy to contain the pandemic, restore public trust, and protect all Americans.
Nigerian-American, Osaremen Okolo, was announced as a COVID-19 Policy Adviser. Osaremen was among the 100 names announced. According to Joe Biden, Osaremen Okolo and other members of the COVID-19 response team will work to get the pandemic under control.
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“This accomplished and experienced team will work to get the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to their lives and to their loved ones. To recover from this pandemic, we must take aggressive action to manufacture, distribute, and administer vaccines, testing, and personal protective equipment in an equitable way. These individuals are deeply qualified and will restore public trust in the pandemic response by leading with facts, science, and integrity,” said President-elect Joe Biden.
“Containing the coronavirus pandemic is one of the defining challenges of our time. This outstanding team will help us defeat this challenge by helping us get this virus under control, responsibly reopen our economy, and safely reopen our schools. I look forward to working closely with these dedicated public servants to save lives, contain this pandemic, and build better preparedness for future pandemics and other public health threats,” said Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
“To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, we must implement an aggressive response to slow the spread of the virus, protect frontline workers, and ensure the safe and efficient delivery of treatments and vaccines. This team is deeply qualified to help lead our White House efforts to protect the American people from the virus,” said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
Osaremen Okolo serves on the Biden-Harris Transition domestic policy team. Prior to joining the transition, Okolo served as Senior Health Policy Advisor to U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.
Okolo drafted, negotiated, and managed the Congresswoman’s legislation, oversight, and policy across a comprehensive health care and public health agenda, most recently focusing almost exclusively on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, Okolo served as Legislative Aide for Health Policy on the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour, and Pensions (HELP) for Ranking Member Patty Murray of Washington.
Okolo parents come from Edo state in Southern Nigeria. She was born and raised in Massachusetts. She graduated with honours from Harvard University in 2017 with degrees in medicine and African-American studies.
Okolo previously served as Legislative Aide for Health Policy on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour, and Pensions (HELP) for Ranking Member Patty Murray of Washington.