Congratulations to University of Illinois biology alumna Dr. Julie Morita, who was recently named to President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory panel.

A pediatrician, Dr. Morita is currently the executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she leads a team of medical professionals at the nation’s largest foundation focused solely on health.

She graduated with a biology degree from UIUC in 1986 and earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. After completing her pediatric residency, she became a clinical pediatrician in a multi-specialty group clinic in Tucson, Ariz. In the ensuing years she held a number of other positions, including medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., medical director for the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), and chief medical officer for CDPH, and commissioner for CDPH.