Washington: US President Joe Biden has announced that University of Texas at Austin’s Dr Pritesh Gandhi was named the chief medical officer of the Department of Homeland Security. Dr Gandhi is the associate medical director for the People’s Community Clinic of Austin. The Indian American is also an affiliate faculty member at the University of Texas Dell Medical School. At Dell Medical School, he specializes in population health and pediatrics, according to his bio.
He studied at Tufts University and completed his residency at Tulane University. He also studied at the London School of Economics and Johns Hopkins University. The People's Clinic said that "over the course of his career, Dr Gandhi has worked with working-class and marginalized communities to address social determinants of health and poverty."
“We regret losing someone of Dr Gandhi’s tremendous capabilities, talent and compassion. He has been an outstanding leader for our clinic and our community during one of the most difficult times in our country’s history. We are proud of the relationship Dr Gandhi has had with us, and wish him the best in this new and very critical role for our country,” said Regina Rogoff, People’s chief executive officer.
Dr Gandhi is a native of Houston, born to immigrant parents from India. He says he is a doctor to the underserved and uninsured. As a Fulbright scholar, Gandhi worked in one of the world’s largest landfills and saw families organize to obtain access to clean water.
As an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, he focused on nutrition among the working poor in Boston. Additionally, according to his bio, during his residency in New Orleans, his group organized around gun violence and social determinants of health. He and his wife then returned to Texas, where they have remained since.
