What’s missing from Joe Biden’s covid-19 advisory board

By Leana S. Wen,

As one of his first acts as president-elect, Joe Biden announced a covid-19 advisory board made up of top doctors and scientists. In doing so, Biden made good on his word that he will empower public health experts to lead this public health crisis. This is much welcome news after months of the Trump administration muzzling scientists and flouting their guidance.

To achieve maximal impact, Biden should add three groups of people.

First, he needs to incorporate economists and business leaders. The United States is facing dual public health and economic crises. I’ve argued that these two crises are intertwined and that containing the virus is key to economic recovery; I have no doubt Biden’s public health experts also agree with this approach.

Let’s say health experts recommend that bars and gyms close based on the evidence that they are high-risk settings for coronavirus transmission. Economists might offer an alternate perspective: If people are still going to gather in homes when bars close, could such a policy hurt businesses while not substantially reducing infections? If the decision is made to close the businesses, what kinds of support should be provided to owners and employees?

Optics are also important. For months, President Trump has set up health officials as boogeymen. Many Americans believed him when he said doctors want to shut everything down. Instead of putting the blame on Trump for his lack of action around the virus, they see public health as the reason businesses are faltering and millions are out of work. Having economists and business executives work hand in hand with doctors will help dispel that notion. Together, they can explain that following public health guidance is the pathway to economic recovery.

Second, the advisory board should include prominent Republicans. Most people on it either are nonpartisan scientists or have close ties to previous Democratic administrations. There are just a few people who served in Republican administrations.

But is there anyone there who has the ear of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and can request his help with a stimulus package? Who is going to pick up the phone to call Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to ask that he implement a mask mandate?

Someone such as Bill Frist, a physician and former Republican senator (and former Senate majority leader himself), could substantially improve the advisory board’s influence and effectiveness. So could Mike Leavitt, a former secretary of health and human services under President George W. Bush and former Republican governor of Utah.

A key principle in public health is that the messenger is often as important as the message. In the current polarized and highly divisive environment, Biden needs to identify people who can be effective messengers to people who are not inclined to trust him. They must help Biden debunk Trump’s false narrative that Democrats want to close everything down. Who better than well-known Republican leaders to reframe the message?

Along these lines, the third group Biden should consider is people who have credibility with those that his public health experts and politicians do not. He might look at respected sports or entertainment figures — especially those who, like Rudy Gobert and Tom Hanks, have been sickened by the virus themselves, or have coped with illness in family or team members. It would be great to enlist individuals who are trusted voices on conservative news outlets. How about medical contributors on Fox News, such as Marc Siegel, the physician chosen by Trump himself to do an on-air interview on Fox News during Trump’s illness?

Importantly, the religious community should play a key role. Imagine how much more convincing Biden’s messages would be if they were delivered by prominent pastors, rabbis and imams, particularly those who did not support his presidency. These religious leaders can also provide insights into why some of their congregants — and many millions of Americans — are not following guidance to wear masks and practice physical distancing.

It’s possible these new advisory board members would insist on changes to the message itself. Good. I’d prefer to have compromise policies that most people will follow, rather than ones that look good on paper but will alienate half the country.

The United States is entering what will almost certainly be the worst time yet in the pandemic, and the president-elect is faced with the herculean task of curbing out-of-control infections in an environment of distrust and disinformation. Through expanding his new covid-19 advisory board, Biden has an opportunity to transcend ideological divides and bring life-saving guidance to Americans whom he would otherwise not reach.

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