From ISEF to the White House, Dr. Deborah Birx leads the country during a public health crisis
Deborah Birx (ISEF 1973) is many things鈥擶hite House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator, physician, colonel, world-renowned global health expert, mother of two, grandmother, daughter, wife, military veteran and the list goes on. Just don鈥檛 call her a politician.
has worked closely with three presidents鈥擥eorge W. Bush with regard to HIV in Africa and PEPFAR (President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), Barack Obama as Ambassador-at-Large and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and now with Donald Trump on COVID-19. tells the Society, 鈥淗er goal is to focus on the science and work across political boundaries and pull people together.鈥� For Dr. Birx, it鈥檚 about data, charts, facts and figures. 鈥淪he鈥檚 learned over the years that if you are going to solve a complex problem, like HIV or the new coronavirus, you really need everyone working together as a team and have the cooperation, respect and ability to engage people who are on different ends of the political spectrum.鈥�
But before the 64-year old Dr. Birx became the voice of scientific reason we watch during pandemic press conferences, she was a bright, inquisitive science fair kid. At 17, a junior at Carlisle High School in Pennsylvania, she competed in the 1973 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in San Diego, California. Don Birx remembers his sister鈥檚 participation at ISEF well. 鈥淭he reason I remember this particular fair is because I was going to school at UC Berkeley at the time and hitchhiked down to San Diego to meet with Deb. She had the fair and then came up to a friend鈥檚 house in Laguna Beach. I also remember her project.鈥�
Dr. Birx鈥檚 ISEF project, titled Paleobotany in Reference to the Carboniferous Period, was focused on geology, specifically fossils. At ISEF, she won 3rd place in the Earth and Space Sciences category, the 1st place Army award, the 1st place Navy award, as well as an Honorable Mention from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). Don tells the Society that, 鈥淚SEF and science fairs meant a lot to her and really was part of encouraging her to go into science.鈥�
Like his younger sister, Don is in a vital leadership role. As President of Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, he is working to guard his community during this crisis. 鈥淭he ice arena has become a 140-bed facility. There鈥檚 also space for individuals working on the frontlines that don鈥檛 want to go home and potentially carry the disease to their families.鈥� He added, 鈥淥ne of the big issues we are finding is the anxiety on the part of students going through this crisis; it鈥檚 an emotional as well as a pedagogical challenge.鈥�
Adele Birx, Dr. Birx鈥檚 91-year old mother, also spoke to the Society. Adele shared that her daughter鈥檚 early interest in science was greatly influenced by her late son, Danny, who was an accomplished scientist and founder of his own research company. He built his own boat, airplane and home. 鈥淗e was very close with her. She was always interested in science and since she had older brothers she was always involved in their activities and observed all that they were doing. When they were taking cars apart, she was always very involved.鈥�
Growing up, the siblings converted the back shed of their family鈥檚 home into an experimental lab. 鈥淲e were allowed to run free with all our experimentation. Whether it was astronomy, geology, biology鈥攁nything we鈥檇 want to get into, we were given a lot of flexibility and freedom to do it,鈥� Don said. 鈥淏oth of our parents were valedictorians of their class and so they were both open to trying new ideas and concepts.鈥� A memorable project the siblings worked together on was building a satellite dish antenna, an apparatus they鈥檇 move around on their roller skates, of course.
The novel, deadly coronavirus is far from Dr. Birx鈥檚 first public health fight. She鈥檚 held a 30-year career fighting HIV/AIDS. Don is not at all surprised by his sister鈥檚 current role in the White House: 鈥淪he鈥檚 been training, unknowingly, for an event like this as she鈥檚 gone through the global AIDS crisis. The similarity between the two situations is that there still really isn鈥檛 a vaccine for AIDS, though there are treatments. She鈥檚 had to deal with leaders of countries from all over the world in trying to figure out ways she could help halt the progress of HIV, in countries that had to work to put those treatments into place. She鈥檚 spent a lot of time working to find where hotspots are, what procedures and processes to put in place and I think the most important thing鈥攖o get the cooperation of governmental leaders across the world in working together to try to solve the HIV crisis and I think she鈥檚 done that very successfully. It gives her a lot of toolsets as she works on the coronavirus.鈥�
Dr. Birx has been driven by science, but she鈥檚 also been compelled by the strong moral compass she grew up with, according to her mother. These are values of giving back and trying to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives. 鈥淪he went to Africa and realized AIDS was killing the parents and leaving the children behind. Nobody would take care of the children.鈥� She says her daughter would administer drugs to help the parents and teach them that though there was no vaccine, there were treatments that could help slow the disease. 鈥淪he wanted to give them hope and she put herself on the frontlines. She鈥檚 not about politics. She鈥檚 just interested in health and people鈥檚 wellbeing.鈥�
Don added, 鈥淥f course, we鈥檙e all very proud of her. We are particularly proud of her because she鈥檚 worked so hard to help individuals and to work across political lines and boundaries of countries with a focus on science and doing good. People are seeing that as she gets up and speaks.鈥�
Dr. Birx鈥檚 mother and brother agree that it鈥檚 odd seeing her on prime-time television. 鈥淚t鈥檚 surprising to see her on TV every night, I have to admit. She never set out to do anything like this,鈥� said Don. Adele echoed those words. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really unusual seeing her on TV. We never expected this to happen and she was certainly never looking for publicity. She鈥檚 kept busy from morning till night; she hasn鈥檛 even had time to talk with us,鈥� said Adele. 鈥淭his is the busiest she has been. We miss her.鈥�
If you have questions about this story, please email Aparna Paul, Director of Communications at the 中文无码, at apaul@societyforscience.org.
