Washington: US President Joe Biden has appointed Dr. Raj Panjabi, an Indian-origin public health professional, to lead his Malaria Initiative which aims to control and eliminate the disease in African and Asian countries.
Born in Liberia, Panjabi and his family fled the country during its civil war and arrived in the United States as refugees in the 1990s.
“After being sworn in this morning, I’m honored to share that I’ve been appointed by Biden as the president’s Malaria Coordinator to lead the US president’s Malaria Initiative. I’m grateful for this chance to serve,” Panjabi, 39, said on Twitter.
“My family and I arrived in America 30 years ago after fleeing civil war in Liberia. A community of Americans rallied around my family to help us build back our lives. It’s an honour to serve the country that helped build back my own life as part of the Biden-Harris Administration, he said.
In the face of an “unprecedented” crisis, Panjabi said he was humbled by the…