Dr. Rochelle Walensky speaks in Wilmington after President-elect Joe Biden announced his team tasked with dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, Dec. 8, 2020. (Photo/JTA-Jim Watson-AFP via Getty Images) News Politics Biden names Dr. Rochelle Walensky, infectious disease expert and Harvard professor, to head CDC Facebook Twitter Email SMS WhatsApp Share By Ron Kampeas, JTA | December 8, 2020 A Jewish doctor from Boston on the front line of that city’s coronavirus response is President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to helm the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, was among the members of the new government health care team announced in a statement Monday. The Biden transition team said Walensky is a “leading expert on virus testing, prevention, and treatment.” Walensky, a member of Temple Emanuel in Newton, told Boston’s Jewish Journal in April that she was seeking solace in her Jewish community as she faced down the disease. “I said to them, the last time I spoke with them, ‘I’m thinking I need you more than you need me,’” Walensky said. “I have a sense it’s getting emotionally pretty hard. I certainly have everybody’s cell phone number … I may need to use it in the weeks ahead.” Biden’s rollout was notable for the number of positions he is tying to the pandemic. Biden campaigned on incumbent President Donald Trump’s failure to stem the pandemic’s spread. Also named as coordinator of the Covid-19 Response and Counselor to the President is Jeff Zients, an economist who owns a chain of Jewish delis in Washington, D.C. Ron Kampeas JTA D.C. bureau chief JTA Content distributed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service. Also On J. Israel It’s official: Biden will visit Israel, West Bank and Saudi Arabia in July U.S. Deborah Lipstadt’s first antisemitism monitor trip will be to Saudi Arabia Politics Joe Biden won’t budge on this make-or-break Iran deal issue Israel Yair Lapid becomes Israeli prime minister, Biden congratulates him Subscribe to our Newsletter Enter Email Sign Up