The Trump administration has chosen Gerald Parker, a veterinarian and former top U.S. health and security official, to lead the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. 

Parker’s career includes more than three decades in the federal government focusing on global health, national security and pandemic preparedness. He will serve as director of the office, which was established by Congress in 2022 as the Covid-19 pandemic began to abate, according to the people, who asked not to be named as the details aren’t yet public.

Parker’s tenure at the Departments of Health & Human Services, Homeland Security and Defense spanned both Democrat and Republican administrations. Among various posts, he served as a commander at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and as HHS’s principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response. 

Most recently, Parker was the associate dean for Global One Health at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The term “one health” describes an approach to health care that recognizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals and the environment and aspires to balance and improve the health of each.

In this capacity, Parker has served as a prominent voice and adviser to lawmakers on the U.S. bird flu outbreak, which has sickened at least 66 people. One person in Louisiana has died from the virus, known as H5N1.

Source: Feedstuffs.com