Endemic - by Monica Gandhi (Hardcover)

About the Book

A manifesto and action plan for future pandemics.

Book Synopsis

A Blueprint for Navigating Future Pandemics: Embrace an Endemic Reality

Discover a roadmap to coexisting with new respiratory diseases and their variants using reason, science, courage, and compassion. This approach acknowledges that eradicating these viruses may be challenging, but controlling them is possible. By utilizing existing tools, we can coexist with these viruses without disrupting society.

In this book, Dr. Gandhi offers insights into the story, science, and politics of our journey so far, highlighting successes and challenges.

With her expertise, clear reasoning and a 10-point plan, Dr. Gandhi equips readers to understand and prepare for the future, ensuring a well-informed and resilient society.

Review Quotes

"Throughout the pandemic, I often turned to the compassionate and clearheaded voice of Dr. Monica Gandhi. Drawing on her experience from the frontlines of HIV, she was able to make meaning from mountains of data and deftly balance an approach that helped keep people safe while reducing harm. Now, eyes cast to the future, she outlines a thoughtful and reasoned plan to help prepare for the next pandemic."--Sanjay Gupta, M.D., CNN chief medical correspondent and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Keep Sharp and World War C

"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Monica Gandhi has emerged as a unique voice, passionately arguing for an approach that balances the threat of the virus and the harms of mitigation strategies. In this timely, lucid, and well-referenced book, Gandhi lays out the lessons of the pandemic - lessons that should be heeded as we manage the continued threat of Covid and plan for the next pandemic. An essential addition to the Covid lexicon." - Robert Wachter, M.D., Chair, Department of Medicine, UCSF and New York Times bestselling author of The Digital Doctor

"As we look back on the years 2020-2022 and forward to the coming decades, Dr. Monica Gandhi's bold work will be among the few go-to analyses helping to set the stage for the long-term playbook we can rely on in future epidemics."--Emily Oster, New York Times bestselling author of Cribsheet and Professor of Economics, Brown University

"A heartfelt and urgently needed exploration of the success and mistakes of the COVID-19 response. This vivid account from a doctor and mother on the frontlines of the pandemic can help us all do better in the endemic period we are now entering--still so surrounded by uncertainty. Here is a sane and reliable guide to a better future." -- Chris Beyrer MD, MPH, Director, Duke Global Health Institute

"Dr. Monica Gandhi's work in global HIV gives her a long view of equity in antiretroviral treatment and prevention access. She is also an active infectious diseases clinician. This provided her with a unique, pragmatic view of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the need for global vaccine and treatment equity, as well as universal healthcare access coverage."-- Eric Goosby, M.D., former Global AIDS Ambassador under President Obama

"As a specialist who has been on the forefront of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Dr. Gandhi is no stranger to the fear, stigma, discrimination, and uncertainty a new disease can create. Her book provides assurance and clarity as she reflects on the lessons learned from the HIV response and discusses what went right and what went wrong in our response to the COVD-19 pandemic and how to prepare for the next public health emergency."--Carlos del Rio, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine; President, Infectious Diseases Society of America

"For years, Dr. Gandhi has been a faithful and diligent force on the HIV/AIDS front line, especially in terms of global equity. She has now turned her years of expertise into an invaluable tool--a handbook--for future medical crises."--Ingrid Katz, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Associate Faculty Director, Harvard Global Health Institute

"Dr. Gandhi has been a star presence in the medical community for many years, particularly in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As we face the future of epidemics both in the U.S. and abroad, it's people like Dr. Gandhi who we can rely on to show us a clear path forward. With this book, Dr. Gandhi provides a solid map."--Jeffrey Flier, M.D., former Dean, Harvard Medical School

"Endemic...addresses both economics and development aspects of pandemic preparedness in an empathetic manner... Through skilful argumentation, Gandhi underscores the importance of compassion and empathy in public health responses, using the stigma and discrimination faced by those with HIV/AIDS to advocate for a more compassionate approach to crises. Gandhi's arguments on equitable access to medical technologies and vaccines during a pandemic contribute significantly to the broader discourse on this topic...An enlightening resource."--The Lancet Infectious Disease Journal

About the Author

Monica Gandhi, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at UCSF/ San Francisco General Hospital. She also serves as the Director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research and the Medical director of the HIV Clinic at SFGH ("Ward 86"). Dr. Gandhi completed her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and then came to UCSF in 1996 for residency training in Internal Medicine.

After her residency, Dr. Gandhi completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, both at UCSF. She also obtained a master's in public health from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 with a focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Gandhi is arguably among the most distinguished infectious disease experts practicing today as well as being one of the few women with such a recognized platform. She supervises many predoctoral students, fellows, residents, and faculty at UCSF and has co-authored or contributed to 18 scholarly books. She is overseeing 11 ongoing research awards and grants from the NIH and the NIAID.

Dr. Gandhi has received dozens of awards, spoken at hundreds of conferences, keynoting many, held a handful of prestigious leadership positions, performed thousands of hours of public service, and served as a mentor and advisor to women in global health research studies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has contributed more than 20 original, peer-reviewed research articles and written more than 40 editorial and opinion pieces for media outlets including The New York Times, NPR, NBC News, BBC, Atlantic, Washington Post, New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, Vox News, WIRED, and more. She lives in San Francisco with her family.