Episode Notes Dr. Larry Brilliant, a Detroit native and 1969 graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, discusses the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, why he created Pandefense Advisory 16 years ago, his time at Wayne State, the joys of a service-oriented life and his advice for current college students.
About Dr. Larry Brilliant has enjoyed numerous achievements. He worked as a key member of the successful World Health Organization Smallpox Eradication Programme for southeast Asia as well as the WHO Polio Eradication Programme. He co-founded and serves as chairman of Seva Foundation, an international nonprofit organization known for preventing and treating blindness and other visual impairments. Seva's projects have given back sight to more than 5 million blind people in two dozen countries.He co-founded The Well, one of the first online communities, which has been the subject of multiple books and studies and is considered a precursor to today’s social media platforms.
He was vice president of Google and the founding executive director of Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google.
He has served on the board of the Skoll Foundation, the philanthropic organization established by former eBay president Jeff Skoll, and continues to serve as a senior advisor. He was also president and CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund. He was chair of the Advisory Board of the NGO Ending Pandemics.
And he currently serves as CEO of Pandefense Advisory, founded in 2020 in response to the pandemic and the successor to Pandefense, an interdisciplinary network of experts that help organizations respond to pandemics.
Dr. Brilliant is a CNN medical analyst. He authored Sometimes Brilliant, a memoir about working to eradicate smallpox, and a guide to managing vaccination programs entitled, “The Management of Smallpox Eradication.” He is the recipient of numerous awards including the TED Prize, Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and many more.
Additional Resources:
Larry Brilliant’s Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brilliant
Read Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History https://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Brilliant-Impossible-Adventure-Spiritual/dp/0062049232
Pandefense Advisory https://pandefense.com/
Dr. Brilliant on NPR discussing what needs to be done after vaccine boosters https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/28/what-needs-to-be-done-after-covid-vaccine-boosters/
Seva Foundation https://www.seva.org/site/SPageServer/?NONCE_TOKEN=1866AFFB5EC0519929C0EB23E0BBBA0B
Larry Brilliant TED Talks https://www.ted.com/speakers/larry_brilliant
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