Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 coordinator, to leave post next week

Ashish Jha, the White House’s point person on the COVID-19 response, will depart from the administration next week

Ashish Jha, the White House’s point person on the COVID-19 response, will depart from the administration next week.

The White House said Thursday that Jha will return to Brown University, where he had served as the dean of the university’s school of public health before joining the White House as its COVID-19 coordinator in April 2022. His departure comes after the federal government ended its twin national emergencies on the virus earlier this spring.

In a statement announcing Jha's departure, President Joe Biden said COVID-19 “no longer controls our daily lives.”

“As one of the leading public health experts in America, he has effectively translated and communicated complex scientific challenges into concrete actions that helped save and improve the lives of millions of Americans,” Biden said in the statement announcing Jha’s departure. “I extend my deepest thanks to Ashish and his family. We are a stronger and healthier nation because of his contributions to public service.”

Biden’s first COVID-19 czar was Jeff Zients, now the White House chief of staff.