President Joe Biden will tap MSNBC contributor Vin Gupta to help shore up his public health messaging, according to Politico.
Gupta, a top medical executive at Amazon and Columbia-educated pulmonologist, is a frequent guest on NBC and MSNBC as a health care analyst. He’s now the favorite to become the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) principal medical adviser, according to Politico, a role which would have him take charge of a communications operation which has struggled to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and baby formula crisis.
Scoop: The FDA is eyeing public health expert & Covid pundit VIN GUPTA for a top role as principal medical adviser.
The job would focus in part on boosting the agency’s public image, following months of shaky messaginghttps://t.co/WWOTiSvcyO
— Adam Cancryn (@adamcancryn) July 5, 2022
Gupta is reportedly expected to take a lead role in the agency’s public communications in an attempt to regain trust with the American public. He has appeared on NBC and MSNBC many times during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped advise Biden’s campaign and transition team on health care issues, according to Politico.
The FDA has faced criticism in recent months over the approval process of COVID-19 vaccines for young kids and the nationwide baby formula shortage cause in part by the agency shutting down a major Abbott plant in Michigan. The FDA will likely face further challenges as it navigates the post-Roe abortion landscape and works to ban nicotine products.
FDA commissioner Robert Califf has said communications is an important task for his agency. Earlier this year, he called misinformation the country’s “leading cause of death.” (RELATED: Pfizer Plans To Profit From COVID For Years To Come)
Gupta will be the second hire made by the Biden administration aimed at blunting criticism of its public health policy. Earlier this year, the White House hired Dr. Ashish Jha, another health care professional that became a popular face on television, to head up its COVID-19 response.