Disease Knows No Politics

Description

A memoir of medicine, scientific integrity, and the unwavering belief that disease knows no politics.

Disease Knows No Politics is a timely, inspiring memoir that champions the American Dream and defends the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while recounting the extraordinary immigrant journey of Dr. Elias Zerhouni: former NIH director under President George W. Bush, presidential envoy under President Barack Obama, and treating physician for President Ronald Reagan.

Dr. Zerhouni, who was asked to consider directing President Trump's Operation Warp Speed to create a COVID vaccine, has crafted a memoir and urgent manifesto emphasizing that "disease knows no politics." He argues that science and public health must remain separate from partisan politics. As NIH director, he upheld this principle while navigating political storms, including the embryonic stem cell debate, ensuring the agency served all Americans, regardless of politics, race, religion, or gender.

Dr. Zerhouni spent much of his childhood amidst the Algerian war for Independence, and he later arrived in America in the 1970s from Algiers with his wife, Nadia, and just a few hundred dollars. He built his career as a radiologist and scientist through groundbreaking research and tireless patient care. From Johns Hopkins University to the NIH, Sanofi, and ModeX and OPKO Health, his life journey took him through the heights of academia, government, and industry. Dr. Zerhouni credits America and the tireless support of his wife, Nadia, for making his success possible. His memoir is a tribute to the country that shaped him and a call to protect scientific integrity from political interference.

Author Bio

Dr. Elias Zerhouni was the 15th director of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush and a presidential envoy for science and technology under President Barack Obama. Zerhouni is a former global health research senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, consultant to the World Health Organization, and consultant to the White House under President Ronald Reagan. Zerhouni is currently president of OPKO Health and co-founder and chairman of OPKO's ModeX Therapeutics.

Endorsements

Besides being a first-class intellect and scientific leader, Elias Zerhouni brought to NIH, as its Director, a system of much needed, transparent, and visionary administrative and organizational structure. The NIH has been much better off because of his vision and efforts.
Tony Fauci
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director

Dr. Zerhouni's immigrant journey, brought to life with engaging detail in his memoir, Disease Knows No Politics, is the American dream at its best. I'm grateful for his outstanding service to our country, and all he did to transform the NIH.
Tommy Thompson
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Former Four-term Governor of Wisconsin

Elias Zerhouni wisely uses his memoir to further acquaint readers with the power and purpose of the NIH, an institution which profoundly shapes biomedical research throughout the United States and the larger world.
Sudip Parikh
CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Executive Publisher Science Family of Journals at AAAS

A brilliant inventor, engineer, physician, biomedical research scientist and entrepreneur, Elias Zerhouni personifies the American Dream as much as anyone I've known. His multidisciplinary leadership in academia, government and industry has contributed greatly not just to the adopted country he loves, but to all humanity. Elias is fearless where it counts--at the intersection of health policy and politics. His memoir will inspire anyone seeking to advance science and technology.
Michael Milken
Chairman of the Milken Institute
Founder of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream

Author: Elias Zerhouni,Edward Kriz
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 07/15/2025
Pages: 280
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.32lbs
Size: 9.18h x 6.36w x 0.95d
ISBN: 9781493090624

About the Author
Dr. Elias Zerhouni was the 15th director of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush and a presidential envoy for science and technology under President Barack Obama. Zerhouni is a former global health research senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, informal consultant to the World Health Organization, and consultant to the White House medical team for President Ronald Reagan. Zerhouni is currently president of OPKO Health and co-founder and chairman of OPKO's ModeX Therapeutics.

Edward Kriz is a nonfiction author, who specializes in science and politics, and has coauthored for former university heads, political leaders, accomplished scientists, and business titans.