Nigerian-American Osaremen Okolo appointed as Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Policy Adviser

US President-elect, Joe Biden has appointed former senior health policy advisor to US representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Osaremen Okolo, as the COVID-19 Policy Adviser.

Osaremen was among the 100 names announced as additional members of the White House staff by the Biden transition team.

According to Joe Biden, Osaremen Okolo and other members of the COVID-19 response team “will work to get the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to their lives and to their loved ones”. He also added that the appointed members are deeply qualified and will restore public trust in the pandemic response by leading with facts, science, and integrity.

Announcing her appointment on the Biden-Harris Transition website, the transition team wrote:

Osaremen Okolo serves on the Biden-Harris Transition domestic policy team. Prior to joining the transition, Okolo served as Senior Health Policy Advisor to U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.

Okolo drafted, negotiated, and managed the Congresswoman’s legislation, oversight, and policy across a comprehensive health care and public health agenda, most recently focusing almost exclusively on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, Okolo served as Legislative Aide for Health Policy on the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour, and Pensions (HELP) for Ranking Member Patty Murray of Washington. A daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Okolo was born and raised in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.

Photo Credit: Osaremen Okolo