Task Forces
The work of the Commission is supported by Task Forces, in areas ranging from vaccine development to humanitarian relief strategies, safe workplaces, and global economic recovery. These Task Forces bring together experts on specific issue areas or regions to provide in-depth knowledge and recommendations to the Lancet COVID-19 Commission. Publications of the Task Forces express the findings and views of Task Force members who have authored the report.
Task Force members serve in their individual capacities, on an honorary basis. The Task Forces do not contribute to other publications or statements issued by the Lancet COVID-19 Commission or the other Task Forces, or to other publications in the Lancet family of journals or other publication outlets, unless explicitly specified. The Secretariat of the Commission is hosted by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University.
Public Health Measures to Suppress the Pandemic
Jong-Koo Lee, former Director, Korea CDC, Korea (Co-chair)
Chris Bullen, Professor of Public Health, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, New Zealand (Co-chair)
COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
Maria Elena Bottazzi, Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, USA (Co-chair)
Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, USA (Co-chair)
Safe Work, Safe Schools, & Safe Travel
Joseph Allen, Associate Professor of Exposure Assessment Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, USA (Chair)
Humanitarian Relief, Social Protection, & Vulnerable Groups
Gabriela Cuevas Barron, Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and former Senator in the Mexican Congress, Mexico (Co-chair)
Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Former President, Republic of Latvia (Co-chair)
George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Ghana (Co-chair)
Mental Health & Well-being
Lara Aknin, Distinguished University Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada (Chair)
Origins, Early Spread of the Pandemic, and One Health Solutions to Future Pandemic Threats
In the interest of ensuring the transparency and objectivity of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission report, the Task Force on the Origins, Early Control of the Pandemic, and One Health Solutions has been ended. The Commission’s work on these issues will be undertaken by the Commission Secretariat, in consultation with global experts, in advance of the final report.
Fiscal Policy and Financial Markets
Vitor Gaspar, Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF, USA (Co-chair)
Felipe Larraín, Professor of Economics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and former Minister of Finance, Chile (Co-chair)
Global Health Diplomacy and Cooperation
María Fernanda Espinosa, Former President of the UN General Assembly and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Ecuador (Co-chair)
Muhammad Pate, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, The World Bank, USA (Co-chair)
Lan Xue, Cheung Kong Chair Distinguished Professor and Dean, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, China (Co-chair)
Green Recovery
Phoebe Koundouri, Professor, School of Economics, Athens University of Economics & Business, Greece (Co-chair)
Ismail Serageldin, Founding Director, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt (Co-chair)
Min Zhu, former Deputy Managing Director of the IMF and former Chair of the Bank of China (Co-chair)
Regional Task Force: India
Chandrika Bahadur, Director, SDG Academy, SDSN, India (Chair)
Regional Task Force: Latin America and Caribbean
Alejandro Gaviria, President, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (Co-chair)
Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO, France (Co-chair)
Regional Task Force: Africa
Miriam Were, Vice Chair, The Champions of AIDS-Free Generation Kenya (Co-chair)
Muhammad Pate, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, The World Bank, USA (Co-chair)
Salim Abdool Karim, Caprisa Professor for Global Health in Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, USA (Co-chair)