ARIZONA, USA — Dr. Jill Jim, the Executive Director of the Navajo Department of Health, has been selected as one of the members of president-elect Joe Biden's new COVID-19 Advisory Board.
Dr. Jim, who has served the Navajo Nation for 18-years, has dedicated her career to "preventing chronic diseases and addressing healthcare and health disparities among American Indians/Alaska Natives," according to a press release from the Biden campaign.
She also has a Doctorate in Public Health, a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration, a second Master’s in Public Health from the University of Utah, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion and Community Health Education from Northern Arizona University, according to the Navajo Nation.
The nation has seen some of the highest case numbers in the United States, hitting 15,954 positive cases and 8,609 recoveries as of Saturday morning. It has been in multiple stay-at-home lockdowns since the beginning of the pandemic.
"Her leadership has been essential to the COVID-19 response on the Navajo Nation, as the Navajo Department of Health is authorized to respond to the declared public health emergency," the press release said.
The campaign team also named Jane Hopkins, the Executive Vice President of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and Dr. David Michaels, a former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, and Health during the Clinton administration, as new members of the board.
"As COVID-19 surges across the country, I need a team advising me and a transition that offers diverse perspectives and viewpoints," Biden said. "Ms. Hopkins, Dr. Jim, and Dr. Michaels will strengthen the board’s work and help ensure that our COVID-19 planning will address inequities in health outcomes and the workforce."
