It’s a new year, and a new opportunity for breakthrough ideas, technologies, policies, and social opinions to revolutionize how we understand and control disease.
That in part depends on you! Think of the ways you can help combat disease. Do you have the scientific skill set to understand the molecular basis of disease? Are you a computationalist that can explore aspects of disease that are limited by current experimental designs? Are you a well-versed conversationalist who can influence the way others understand diseases (especially those that aren’t prevalent in first world societies)?
I believe that anyone with any experience or skill set can help eliminate some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Disease control is more than scientific research. In fact, most of the experimental work is under-the-hood. We need clinicians to turn research into medicine, and politicians to turn medicine into law. We need writers and philosophers; dietitians and economists to eradicate diseases. We need leaders, fundraisers, journalists, and grant writers. We need bloggers, photographers, artists, and musicians.
We need you. Because no matter what you do, you can have a hand in combating disease.
Happy New Year! May this trip around the Sun be your best one yet!
Contagion 