Our distinguished speakers briefed the media on a set of recommendations made by 1,500+ health professionals and experts urging Joe Biden to adopt a set of policies to stop the crisis now, build back a better world, and prevent the pandemics of the future. Speakers will also comment on the state of COVID-4 negotiations underway in Congress.

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The speakers included:

• Abdul El-Sayed, MD

  • ​Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DPhil, is a physician, epidemiologist, progressive activist, educator, author, speaker, and podcast host. He is the Chair of Southpaw Michigan and a Political Contributor at CNN. He is the author of Healing Politics, calling for a politics of empathy to cure our epidemic of insecurity, and the forthcoming Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide with Dr. Micah Johnson. He is the host of “America Dissected,” a podcast by Crooked Media, which goes beyond the headlines to explore what really matters for our health. He is a Scholar-in-Residence at Wayne State University and American University teaching at the interaction of public health, public policy, and politics. 

• Jeffrey Sachs, PhD

  • ​Jeffrey Sachs, PhD, is a world-renowned professor of economics, bestselling author, leader in sustainable development, and senior UN advisor. He is a leading expert on economic development, global macroeconomics, the escape from extreme poverty, the control of AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, and the battle against human-induced climate change. Sachs was a co-recipient of the Blue Planet Prize for his environmental leadership and has twice been named among Time Magazine’s most influential world leaders. The New York Times called Sachs “probably the most important economist in the world.” Professors Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and was the Director of the Earth Institute from 2002 to 2016.​​

• Hannah Lichtsinn, MD

  • ​Hannah Lichtsinn, MD, FAAP, is an internist and pediatrician with HealthPartners in St. Paul, MN and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She is a co-founder of the Minnesota Immigrant Health Alliance (MIHA), co-chair of the healthcare advocacy organization Our Stories. Our Health., and a board member of the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MNAPP). She is also a 2020-2021 Leaders in Health Policy Fellow with the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM). 

• Rishi Rattan, MD

  • ​Rishi Rattan, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Miami and a trauma and critical care surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in the nation. He is currently on the front lines at the current epicenter of the COVID pandemic. Dr. Rattan holds multiple field and teaching positions in the National Disaster Medical System on disaster and emergency response. He trains domestic and foreign civilian, government, and military agencies on emergency response in disaster, humanitarian, conflict, and other austere settings. He lectures at universities and professional schools internationally. His work has been published in scientific and popular press and translated into multiple languages.

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