Many who know me might be shocked by this: I shot my first pistol when I was 8 or 9, taught by my father, a physician, aiming at targets in our basement. At summer camp, I loved riflery the way some kids loved art. Staring through the sight, down the barrel, I proved an excellent shot, gathering ever more advanced medals from the National Rifle Association. As a reward, for my 13th birthday, my uncle gave me a .22 Remington rifle.This story also ran on . It can beI did not grow up on a farm or in a dangerous place where we needed protection. I grew up in the well-off, leafy suburb of...…Many who know me might be shocked by this: I shot my first pistol when I was 8 or 9, taught by my father, a physician, aiming at targets in our basement. At summer camp, I loved riflery the way some kids loved art. Staring through the sight, down the barrel, I proved an excellent shot, gathering ever more advanced medals from the National Rifle Association. As a reward, for my 13th birthday, my uncle gave me a .22 Remington rifle.This story also ran on . It can beI did not grow up on a farm or in a dangerous place where we needed protection. I grew up in the well-off, leafy suburb of...WW…

March 29, 2021Here’s one big takeaway from our country’s disastrous 2020 covid response: For 20 years, we’ve lavished attention and money on fighting human terrorism and forgot that the terrorism of nature is equally deadly, deserving equal preparation.Today, with , I hope we’ve learned the huge cost of allowing our public health structure to wither as we single-mindedly pursued the decades-long war on terror. Slowly, with no one much paying attention, here’s how it happened.After the horror of 9/11 and the anthrax powder attacks that followed, the United States rapidly created a massive...…March 29, 2021Here’s one big takeaway from our country’s disastrous 2020 covid response: For 20 years, we’ve lavished attention and money on fighting human terrorism and forgot that the terrorism of nature is equally deadly, deserving equal preparation.Today, with , I hope we’ve learned the huge cost of allowing our public health structure to wither as we single-mindedly pursued the decades-long war on terror. Slowly, with no one much paying attention, here’s how it happened.After the horror of 9/11 and the anthrax powder attacks that followed, the United States rapidly created a massive...WW…

March 16, 2021President Joe Biden’s goal of providing health care for more Americans advanced this week with his of an economic stimulus package that subsidies for health insurance premiums and new incentives for states to expand Medicaid, as well as the potential confirmation of Xavier Becerra as secretary of Health and Human Services.But as the current administration works to reverse the actions of its predecessor, it should recognize that former President Donald Trump introduced policies on medical care and drug price transparency that are worth preserving. Those measures could help...…March 16, 2021President Joe Biden’s goal of providing health care for more Americans advanced this week with his of an economic stimulus package that subsidies for health insurance premiums and new incentives for states to expand Medicaid, as well as the potential confirmation of Xavier Becerra as secretary of Health and Human Services.But as the current administration works to reverse the actions of its predecessor, it should recognize that former President Donald Trump introduced policies on medical care and drug price transparency that are worth preserving. Those measures could help...WW…

This story also ran on . It can beMany parents are filled with angst as they prepare for their children to exit a year of pandemic isolation: Will it be OK to send them to school, per the recent from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? Will school feel like school if students are masked and can’t trade snacks? Will children’s development be impaired by nearly a year of seeing few friends?With 20-20 hindsight, I can provide some reassurance, because my kids were 8 and 10 when SARS hit Beijing nearly two decades ago, shutting down the city for months: Your children will likely be...…This story also ran on . It can beMany parents are filled with angst as they prepare for their children to exit a year of pandemic isolation: Will it be OK to send them to school, per the recent from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? Will school feel like school if students are masked and can’t trade snacks? Will children’s development be impaired by nearly a year of seeing few friends?With 20-20 hindsight, I can provide some reassurance, because my kids were 8 and 10 when SARS hit Beijing nearly two decades ago, shutting down the city for months: Your children will likely be...WW…

February 2, 2021The Biden administration’s much-needed national strategy to end the covid-19 pandemic includes plans to remedy the chaotic vaccination effort with “.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency will open more vaccination sites, the government will buy more doses, and more people will be immunized. Still, by all estimates, the demand for vaccines will far exceed the supply for months to come.For weeks, Americans have watched those who are well connected, wealthy or crafty “” to get a vaccine, while others are stuck, endlessly waiting on hold to get an appointment, watching...…February 2, 2021The Biden administration’s much-needed national strategy to end the covid-19 pandemic includes plans to remedy the chaotic vaccination effort with “.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency will open more vaccination sites, the government will buy more doses, and more people will be immunized. Still, by all estimates, the demand for vaccines will far exceed the supply for months to come.For weeks, Americans have watched those who are well connected, wealthy or crafty “” to get a vaccine, while others are stuck, endlessly waiting on hold to get an appointment, watching...WW…

Operation Warp Speed allocated initial doses to the states, where an inscrutable mix of state officials, public health agencies and lobbyists seem to be determining where doses should go.WASHINGTON — Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be “”After Week 1 of the rollout, “nightmare” sounds like an apt description.Dozens of states say they didn’t receive nearly the number of promised doses. Pfizer says millions of doses sat in its storerooms task force told them where to ship them. have few sites...…Operation Warp Speed allocated initial doses to the states, where an inscrutable mix of state officials, public health agencies and lobbyists seem to be determining where doses should go.WASHINGTON — Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be “”After Week 1 of the rollout, “nightmare” sounds like an apt description.Dozens of states say they didn’t receive nearly the number of promised doses. Pfizer says millions of doses sat in its storerooms task force told them where to ship them. have few sites...WW…

December 24, 2020WASHINGTON — Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be “”After Week 1 of the rollout, “nightmare” sounds like an apt description.Dozens of states say they didn’t receive nearly the number of promised doses. Pfizer says millions of doses sat in its storerooms,  task force told them where to ship them.  have few sites that can handle the ultra-cold storage required for the Pfizer product, so, for example, front-line workers in Georgia have had to travel 40 minutes...…December 24, 2020WASHINGTON — Even before there was a vaccine, some seasoned doctors and public health experts warned, Cassandra-like, that its distribution would be “”After Week 1 of the rollout, “nightmare” sounds like an apt description.Dozens of states say they didn’t receive nearly the number of promised doses. Pfizer says millions of doses sat in its storerooms,  task force told them where to ship them.  have few sites that can handle the ultra-cold storage required for the Pfizer product, so, for example, front-line workers in Georgia have had to travel 40 minutes...WW…

December 9, 2020I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air.This story also ran on . It can beThe public service message: This is what can happen if you smoke.I had nightmares about that ad, which today would most likely be tagged with a trigger warning or deemed unsuitable for children. But it was supremely effective: I never started smoking and doubt that few if any of my horrified classmates did...…December 9, 2020I still remember exactly where I was sitting decades ago, during the short film shown in class: For a few painful minutes, we watched a woman talking mechanically, raspily through a hole in her throat, pausing occasionally to gasp for air.This story also ran on . It can beThe public service message: This is what can happen if you smoke.I had nightmares about that ad, which today would most likely be tagged with a trigger warning or deemed unsuitable for children. But it was supremely effective: I never started smoking and doubt that few if any of my horrified classmates did...WW…

October 22, 2020If we really want to stem the spread of the coronavirus as winter looms and we wait for a vaccine, here’s an idea: The government should pay bars, many restaurants and event venues to close for some months.That may sound radical, but it makes scientific sense and even has a political precedent. We (in theory, at least, to protect the environment), so why not compensate owners to shut their indoor venues (to protect public health)?In the past nine months, we’ve learned a lot about this particular coronavirus and how it’s most likely to spread. Drinking establishments and...…October 22, 2020If we really want to stem the spread of the coronavirus as winter looms and we wait for a vaccine, here’s an idea: The government should pay bars, many restaurants and event venues to close for some months.That may sound radical, but it makes scientific sense and even has a political precedent. We (in theory, at least, to protect the environment), so why not compensate owners to shut their indoor venues (to protect public health)?In the past nine months, we’ve learned a lot about this particular coronavirus and how it’s most likely to spread. Drinking establishments and...WW…

This story also ran on .As stores, restaurants, airlines and offices try to lure clients back, this is what they need to do to earn my business: Make me feel safe — no, make me be as safe as possible. As I’ve begun to explore old haunts, some are doing a fabulous job. Others are not.So my dollars will flow to the former, and I’ll effectively boycott the latter. Think of it as ethical shopping, with a safety twist: I’ll reward businesses that are seriously implementing recommended COVID-19 precautionary guidelines. And I’ll punish, in my own tiny way, those who don’t take them to heart.Yes,...…This story also ran on .As stores, restaurants, airlines and offices try to lure clients back, this is what they need to do to earn my business: Make me feel safe — no, make me be as safe as possible. As I’ve begun to explore old haunts, some are doing a fabulous job. Others are not.So my dollars will flow to the former, and I’ll effectively boycott the latter. Think of it as ethical shopping, with a safety twist: I’ll reward businesses that are seriously implementing recommended COVID-19 precautionary guidelines. And I’ll punish, in my own tiny way, those who don’t take them to heart.Yes,...WW…