1/ I first met @RonaldKlain almost six years ago, when we were in the midst of another global crisis, the #Ebola epidemic in West Africa. He was the White House Ebola Response Coordinator. I spent two months volunteering as an Ebola aid worker in Guinea.
2/ Our president during that crisis understood that we needed someone dedicated to coordinating the #Ebola response, not a scapegoat who could be blamed when things didn’t go well.
3/ President @BarackObama knew he needed someone who could break through bureaucratic gridlocks and get government agencies to work together. And that person was @RonaldKlain.
4/ No, @RonaldKlain isn’t an infectious disease specialist or epidemiologist like me, but he understood how to empower experts like me to follow the science and do our jobs.
5/ @RonaldKlain understood that scientists and doctors needed to be front and center in communicating with the public, whether that was @NIH’s Tony Fauci or @CDCgov’s @DrTomFrieden.
6/ Over the years, @RonaldKlain and I stayed in touch, and when another crisis hit, this time the #coronavirus #COVID pandemic, I reached out to Ron and invited him to partner with me as a co-host on the @EPIDEMICpodcast.
7/ @RonaldKlain was incredibly giving of his time and energy, helping us build the show and audience. We've hit well over a million downloads since we launched on February 27th.
8/ As he did during the #Ebola epidemic, @RonaldKlain understood that we need to hear from scientists and experts like @DrTomFrieden, @Craig_A_Spencer, @HomerVenters, @HeleneGayle, @DrAlethaMaybank, @DonBerwick, @JohnLynchID, @SyraMadad, @KSadtler, @GaviSeth, & @PeterHotez.
9/ @RonaldKlain also understood that some among us borne a disproportionate share of the suffering during this pandemic and that we needed to elevate the voices of those who’d speak on their behalf like @VanitaGuptaCR, @JInterlandi, @ChefJoseAndres, @NormOrnstein, ...
11/ @RonaldKlain isn’t just a generous mentor. He’s a sponsor. He understands the importance of bringing up and empowering the next generation, including people like me.
12/ Even though @RonaldKlain had to step away as other duties have called, I know he’ll be tuning in to the show and cheering us on as we continue to bring you new episodes of the @EPIDEMICpodcast. Thank you, Ron, for everything.//
