Biden taps retired Air Force major general to lead new White House pandemic office
Christian Datoc
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President Joe Biden has selected retired Air Force Major General Paul Friedrichs to serve as the first director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy.
Friedrichs, who was also a military combat surgeon before being promoted, and the rest of the OPPR staff will begin operations on August 7. Friedrichs currently serves as senior director for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council.
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OPPR will begin work just weeks after Dr. Ashish Jha, Biden’s second COVID-19 czar, and the rest of the coronavirus response team departed the administration. Jeff Zients, Jha’s predecessor, now serves as Biden’s chief of staff.
Biden’s spending packages created OPPR in 2022, and the now permanent office will work with Congress to appropriate funding for pandemic preparedness efforts moving forward.
“The Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy will coordinate the Administration’s domestic response to public health threats that have pandemic potential, or may cause significant disruption, and strengthen domestic pandemic preparedness. This includes ongoing work to address potential public health outbreaks and threats from COVID-19, Mpox, polio, avian and human influenza, and RSV,” the White House said in a statement announcing Friedrich’s new position. “As required by statute, OPPR will develop and provide to Congress a biennial Preparedness Review and Report and Preparedness Outlook Report every five years.”
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The office will also specifically oversee federal efforts to research and develop the “next generation vaccines and treatments” for COVID-19 and other viruses.
“During the height of the pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration made historic investments in COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments that were made widely available,” the White House added. “OPPR will continue to leverage these investments as it drives future progress in combatting COVID-19 and other public health threats.”