Dr. Birx Is on the Coronavirus Task Force, but She’s a Family Woman Too
Dr. Deborah Birx's professional resume is nothing short of impressive, but what about her personal life? Is she married? Does she have any children?
Apr. 24 2020, Updated 11:28 a.m. ET
The new coronavirus has led cities and states across the nation to close their bars, restaurants, and schools. Many governors are enforcing mask requirements when out in public. Television and movie production has shut down indefinitely. We’re all washing our hands, practicing social distancing, and making sure there is at least six feet between us and our neighbor walking down the same sidewalk as us. These rules and guidelines didn’t just come out of nowhere.
These guidelines were all put in place and suggested directly from the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence. One woman who's making regular appearances at White House press briefings is Dr. Deborah Birx, Pence’s self-proclaimed “right arm” and wearer of fabulous scarves.
Dr. Deborah Birx made a name for herself before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now with the world on hold, while we all try to flatten the curve, her regular appearance at the president’s daily press briefings has made her a hot topic of discussion and many curious to know more about the personal life of the woman helping fight the spread of coronavirus. Is Dr. Birx married? Does she have any children? We break it all down for you below!
Dr. Deborah Birx was a former physician in the United States Army.
According to The New York Times, the Pennsylvania native majored in chemistry at Houghton College, then attended Penn State University’s Hershey School of Medicine, where she received her medical degree. Dr. Birx rose through the ranks to colonel working as a physician in the United States Army. After her time in the military, she retired from the armed forces and began to work and research about HIV/AIDS and vaccines.
In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Deborah to the ambassador post to lead the government’s effort to contain the outbreak of AIDS. She became the State Department’s U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and led the president's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief.
She is the mother of two millennial daughters.
While pleading with the nation to help slow the spread of coronavirus by practicing social distancing, Dr. Deborah Birx shared some personal information to help relate to the public.
At a press briefing, she explained, “I want to speak particularly to our largest generations now, our millennials,” Birx said, per Business Insider. “I am the mom of two wonderful millennial young women who are bright and hardworking, and I will tell you what I told to them: They are the core group that will stop this virus. They are the group that communicates successfully independent of picking up a phone. They intuitively know how to contact each [other] without being in large social gatherings.”
Deborah Birx is married to former Clinton advance man, Paige Reffe.
As the Deputy Assistant and Director of Advance, Paige Reffe was responsible for the execution of President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton’s trips, according to The Project on Transitional Democracies.
The couple lives in a multi-generational household with Dr. Birx’s parents, their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, according to the Capital Gazette.
