As millions of COVID-19 vaccines are administered each day and we begin to imagine a “new normal,” the need for bold approaches to health is greater than ever. In that pursuit, Aspen Ideas: Health will take place this year in an all-new digital format. From April 27-29, the event will gather leading experts and innovators for powerful conversations across a range of health topics. Among them are four incredible writers: Harriet A. Washington, Walter Isaacson, Suleika Jaouad, and Sanjay Gupta. Their latest works explore everything from controversial medical practices to the true meaning of life. Learn why their new books are perfect additions to your reading list.
Carte Blanche: The Erosion of Medical Consent
In her latest work, Harriet A. Washington once again exposes a large-scale violation of patient, civil, and human rights. The book is an alarming tale of how Americans’ right to decline risky medical research is being violated. More than a dozen studies have used a legal loophole to give risky and potentially deadly drugs to patients without their knowledge. This disproportionately affects people of color, especially Black Americans, many of whom are already justifiably distrustful of the US medical system and its racial bias.
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Walter Isaacson’s new book introduces his first female subject: Jennifer Doudna. Doudna and her colleagues invented CRISPR, a gene-editing tool thus launching a revolution that promises to help us cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. Not only has the Nobel Prize winner defied the odds as a woman in a male-dominated field, but Doudna has also become a leader in wrestling with the ethical implications of their invention and helping set up the guardrails human civilization is going to need in the future.
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted
The summer after her college graduation, Suleika Jaouad faced the impossible: a leukemia diagnosis with a 35 percent chance of survival. She spent the next four years in a hospital bed, fighting for her life and chronicling her journey in a column for The New York Times. After beating the odds, she embarked on a journey of a different sort—one that would take her across the country to meet some of the strangers who had written to her during her time in the hospital and to learn how to begin again.
Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age
With insights from the world’s top scientists, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has compiled a guide on how to keep your brain young and healthy. The neurosurgeon and journalist debunks common myths about aging and cognitive decline and explores different techniques to staying sharp. Dr. Gupta also addresses brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and offers advice for how to take care of a partner who is experiencing cognitive decline
You can register for Aspen Ideas: Health here.
