Associate professor at Yale School of Medicine Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith has been tapped as one of three co-chairs on President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 task force.

Nunez-Smith is currently serving on Gov. Ned Lamont's Connecticut COVID-19 task force.

She was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and attended Jefferson Medical College. Her research focuses on narrowing the health care gap.

Nunez-Smith is the founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center, which studies health disparities in marginalized communities.

Earlier this year, Yale named her associate dean for health research equity.

That background may help her tackle a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Black communities.

The Biden transition team says former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler were also tapped to co-chair the task force. Murthy is also a Yale grad.