Céline Gounder

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Céline Gounder

| office = Member of the COVID-19 Advisory Board

| status =

| image = 201808 CelineGounder 1.jpg

| caption = Gounder in August 2018

| 1blankname = President-Elect

| 1namedata = Joe Biden

| 2blankname = Co-chairs

| 2namedata = David A. Kessler
Vivek Murthy
Marcella Nunez-Smith

| term_start = November 2020

| term_end = January 2021

| birth_name = Céline R. Gounder

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|4|22}}

| birth_place = United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = {{marriage|Grant Wahl|2001|2022|end=died}}

| occupation = Physician, medical journalist

| education = Princeton University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Washington

| website = {{url|celinegounder.com}}

}}

Céline R. Gounder (born April 22, 1977) is an American physician and medical journalist who specializes in infectious diseases and global health. She was a member of the COVID-19 Advisory Board transition team of then-incoming U.S. president Joe Biden.{{Cite web|author=Eric Levenson|title=Here's who's on President-elect Biden's newly formed Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/health/members-of-biden-covid-19-advisory-board/index.html|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=CNN|date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115172303/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/health/members-of-biden-covid-19-advisory-board/index.html|url-status=live}} In 2022, she joined the Kaiser Family Foundation as senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health at Kaiser Health News.

Early life

Céline R. Gounder was born in the U.S. on April 22, 1977,{{Cite thesis|title=Field evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for tuberculosis|date=2000|language=en|first=Celine|last=Gounder|degree=Sc. M.|publisher=Johns Hopkins University|oclc=44388644}} the daughter of a French mother, Nicole Pantanelli, from Normandy and Raj Natarajan Gounder, a Tamil-Indian father from Perumpalayam near Erode.{{Cite web|date=June 4, 2018|title=Q&A: Dr. Celine Gounder '97 on the Opioid Epidemic, Ebola, and More|url=https://paw.princeton.edu/podcast/qa-dr-celine-gounder-97-opioid-epidemic-ebola-and-more|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Princeton Alumni Weekly|language=en|archive-date=November 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110080246/https://paw.princeton.edu/podcast/qa-dr-celine-gounder-97-opioid-epidemic-ebola-and-more|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Gawande |first=Atul |date=November 10, 2020 |title=3 WITH INDIAN ROOTS IN BIDEN'S COVID TASK FORCE |url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/dt-next/20201110/page/1/textview |access-date=December 3, 2020 |via=PressReader}}{{Cite web|date=January 20, 2014|title=Raj Natarajan Gounder - Obituary|url=https://www.flintofts.com/obituaries/Raj-Natarajan-Gounder?obId=2009028|access-date=January 8, 2023|website=Flintoff's Funeral Home|language=en}} At age 16, she began attending Princeton University, and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in molecular biology.{{cite news |last1=Hobson |first1=Katherine |title=The Doctor Is On |url=https://paw.princeton.edu/cbs/doctor/celine/gounder/covid/expert |access-date=10 December 2022 |work=Princeton Alumni Weekly |publisher=Princeton University |date=30 August 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinegounder/|title=Celine Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA|last=Gounder|first=Celine|website=LinkedIn|publisher=LinkedIn Corporation|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=September 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919124258/https://www.linkedin.com/in/celinegounder|url-status=live}} In 2000, she received a Master of Science degree in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with her thesis "Field evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for tuberculosis". At the University of Washington School of Medicine, she earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2004.{{cite web|title=Real Time Impact on Global Health|url=http://depts.washington.edu/givemed/magazine/2015/04/real-time-impact-on-global-health/|website=UW Medicine|publisher=UW School of Medicine|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010619/http://depts.washington.edu/givemed/magazine/2015/04/real-time-impact-on-global-health/|url-status=live}} While in medical school, she co-founded the International Health Group, which advocates for doctors training to serve disadvantaged people around the world.{{cite web|title=About the UW School of Medicine International Health Group|url=https://depts.washington.edu/ihg/about.htm|website=University of Washington|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813075611/http://depts.washington.edu/ihg/about.htm|url-status=live}} She completed her residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Career

Gounder's first position was as a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she researched TB and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and served as Director for Delivery in the Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS/TB Epidemic, which was funded by the Gates Foundation. She then joined the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene working on control of TB in the city.

Starting in 2018, Gounder practiced medicine part-time while addressing her long time concerns with health issues as a medical journalist. She was on the editorial advisory board of TEDMED{{Cite web|url=https://www.tedmed.com/about-tedmed/about#tab-ourStageProgram%7CEditorialAdvisoryBoard|title=TEDMED's Editorial Advisory Board|website=TEDMED|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310073926/https://www.tedmed.com/about-tedmed/about#tab-ourStageProgram%7CEditorialAdvisoryBoard|url-status=live}} and has published articles about infectious disease and other medical topics in media including The New Yorker and The Atlantic, and has appeared on TV news and talk shows.

In 2017, Gounder founded Just Human Productions, a non-profit media organization that uses storytelling in an effort to impact public health.{{cite web |title='Racing Toward Justice': In conversation with Dr. Celine Gounder on Feb. 15 |url=https://www.uwec.edu/news/news/racing-toward-justice-in-conversation-with-dr-celine-gounder-on-feb-15-5019/ |website=University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire |access-date=10 December 2022 |language=en}} Gounder produced the podcast American Diagnosis, focusing on diverse health topics. With the rise of COVID-19, she created the podcast Epidemic, which she cohosted with Biden-advisor Ron Klain.

On November 9, 2020, Gounder was named as a member of the COVID-19 Advisory Board of U.S. president-elect Joe Biden.{{cite news|last=Mucha|first=Sarah|date=November 9, 2020|title=Biden transition team announces coronavirus advisers, including whistleblower Rick Bright|work=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/biden-coronavirus-advisers-experts-rick-bright/index.html|access-date=November 9, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115172326/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/biden-coronavirus-advisers-experts-rick-bright/index.html|url-status=live}}

As of 2021, Gounder is also an assistant professor at the NYU medical school.{{Cite web|url=https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/celine-r-gounder|title=Celine R. Gounder|website=med.nyu.edu}}

Recognition

While pursuing her master's degree at Johns Hopkins, Gounder was inducted into the Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society in 2000.{{cite web|title=2000 Inductees|url=https://www.jhsph.edu/alumni/engage-with-alumni/join-an-association/delta-omega/membership/2000.html|website=Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health|publisher=Johns Hopkins University|access-date=February 20, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010702/https://www.jhsph.edu/alumni/engage-with-alumni/join-an-association/delta-omega/membership/2000.html|url-status=live}} In 2004 when she graduated from University of Washington School of Medicine, she was awarded the James W. Haviland Award for "outstanding clinical competence and for unusual promise as a leader of medicine in the future".{{cite web|title=Medical School graduates Honored with Student Awards|url=http://depts.washington.edu/mednews/vol8/no24/graduation.html|website=Online News UW School of Medicine|publisher=University of Washington School of Medicine|access-date=February 20, 2018|archive-date=September 11, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050911154507/http://depts.washington.edu/mednews/vol8/no24/graduation.html|url-status=live}} In 2010, she was awarded the W. Leight Thompson, MD Excellence in Research Award at Johns Hopkins.{{cite web|title=ACGME Former Fellows|url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/infectious-diseases/education/acgme/previous_fellows.html|website=Johns Hopkins Medicine|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System|access-date=February 20, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310013534/https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/infectious-diseases/education/acgme/previous_fellows.html|url-status=live}} Also that year, she was the recipient of the Arthur M. Dannenberg, Jr. Award at Johns Hopkins, and was an Ashoka Changemaker Finalist.{{cite web|title=Dr. Celine Gounder - Infectious Disease|url=https://health.usnews.com/doctors/celine-gounder-592054|website=U.S. News & World Report|publisher=U.S. News & World Report L.P.|access-date=February 20, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010852/https://health.usnews.com/doctors/celine-gounder-592054|url-status=live}}

In 2017, Gounder was listed in People Magazine's 25 Women Changing the World in 2017 for her contributions to health care.{{cite web|last1=People Staff|title=Meet the 25 Women Changing the World in 2017|url=http://people.com/celebrity/25-women-changing-the-world-in-2017/celine-gounder|website=People|publisher=Time Inc|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308015820/http://people.com/celebrity/25-women-changing-the-world-in-2017/celine-gounder/|url-status=live}}

Gounder was elected a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2016 and elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023.{{cite news|title=IDSA News|url=http://news.idsociety.org/idsa/textonly/printall.php?id=idsa20160817|work=Infectious Disease Society of America|date=July–August 2016|access-date=March 9, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310074026/http://news.idsociety.org/idsa/textonly/printall.php?id=idsa20160817|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members |url=https://nam.edu/national-academy-of-medicine-elects-100-new-members-2023/ |access-date=9 October 2023 |work=National Academy of Medicine |date=9 October 2023}}

Personal life

Gounder was married to sports journalist Grant Wahl from 2001 until his sudden death in 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2022/12/09/us-soccer-journalist-grant-wahl-dies-while-covering-world-cup-in-qatar/|title=US soccer journalist Grant Wahl dies while covering World Cup in Qatar|first1=Jared|last1=Schwartz|date=December 10, 2022}} They lived with their two dogs in New York City.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeffpearlman.com/celine-gounder/|title=Dr. Celine Gounder|website=www.jeffpearlman.com|language=en-US|date=February 27, 2018|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225142511/http://www.jeffpearlman.com/celine-gounder/|url-status=live}}