How can we create a healthier world and prevent the crisis next time?

In a few short months, COVID-19 devastated the world and, in particular, the United States. It infected millions, killed hundreds of thousands, and effectively made the earth stand still.

Yet America was already in poor health before COVID-19 appeared. Racism, marginalization, socioeconomic inequality--our failure to address these forces left us vulnerable to COVID-19 and the ensuing global health crisis it became. Had we tackled these challenges twenty years ago, after the outbreak of SARS, perhaps COVID-19 could have been quickly contained. Instead, we allowed our systems to deteriorate.

Following on the themes of his award-winning publication Well, Sandro Galea's The Contagion Next Time articulates the foundational forces shaping health in our society and how we can strengthen them to prevent the next outbreak from becoming a pandemic. Because while no one could have predicted that a pandemic would strike when it did, we did know that a pandemic would strike, sooner or later. We're still not ready for the next pandemic. But we can be--we must be.

In lyrical prose, The Contagion Next Time challenges all of us to tackle the deep-rooted obstacles preventing us from becoming a truly vibrant and equitable nation, reminding us of what we've seemed to have forgotten: that our health is a public good worth protecting.

Acknowledgments Introduction Section 1. The world we live in 1. A better and healthier time to be alive than ever 2. An unhealthy country 3. An unhealthy world Section 2. The conditions that create health 4. Who we are, the foundational forces 5. Where we live, work, and play 6. Politics, power, and money Section 3. The values that should inform these conditions 7. Compassion 8. Social, racial, and economic justice 9. Health as a public good Section 4. A science for a better health 10. Understanding what matters most 11. Working in complexity and doubt 12. Humility and informing the public conversation Epilogue References

Sandro Galea , Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor of the School of Public Health, Boston University, UNITED STATES

Sandro Galea is Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. He has been named an "epidemiology innovator" by Time and one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds" by Thomson Reuters. A native of Malta, he has served as a field physician for Doctors Without Borders and held academic positions at Columbia University, University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine. At the time of his current appointment, he was the youngest dean of a school of public health in the United States.

"In this unforgettable book, Sandro Galea expertly demonstrates that our investing in the healthiest population possible is literally an act of national security against a future pandemic. The Contagion Next Time issues a clear warning, and a clear way forward. This book can save us if we are serious about saving ourselves" -- Ibram X. Kendi, bestselling author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist

"Dr. Galea's book proves it is possible for us to build a healthier world after Covid-19DLand the first step is to protect the most vulnerable, whether they're in our own neighborhoods or across the globe. The Contagion Next Time is truly a must read." -- Katie Couric, award-winning journalist

"Sandro Galea lays out critical steps that we must take as individuals and as a nation to address lessons learned from the pandemic. A must read for policy makers and anyone who wants to shape a healthier future for our country and the world." -- Hilary Godwin, Dean, University of Washington School of Public Health

"The Contagion Next Time seamlessly weaves personal narrative, historical accounts, and public health expertise to illuminate the importance of re-centering our everyday experiences to create a healthier society. Dr. Galea powerfully calls for greater investment in social systems to produce equitable outcomes in preparation for the inevitable next health crisis like Covid-19." -- Thomas LaVeist, Dean, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

"Covid-19 brings into sharp relief the social determinants of health. Sandro Galea, a gifted communicator, uses his considerable skills to tell the story of how our health is embedded in the nature of society, its history and values. Such understanding is vital not only to controlling pandemics but improving the health of the population." -- Sir Michael Marmot, author of Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review

"In the wake of a devastating pandemic, Sandro Galea's incisive narrative shows us why we cannot return to the status quo in a post-Covid world. The Contagion Next Time offers a searing commentary on the cracks in our country's foundations, shining a light on longstanding inequities and systemic racism. It also gives us reason to hope by reminding us of the opportunities and possibilities available as we reshape our nation and public health. Sandro Galea's optimism is a necessary tool for the road ahead." -- Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer, SVP, American Medical Association

"The Contagion Next Time offers a prescription for our health and well-being that is nothing less than the 'revolution of values' that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for in 1967. Dr. Galea's diagnosis rightly indicates that we must address poverty, inequality, and systemic racism to ensure good health. Deeply engaging and insightful, this book is required reading to ensure that we not only survive the next pandemic, but thrive for generations to come." -- Shailly Gupta Barnes, Policy Director for the Kairos Center and the Poor People's Campaign

"Dr. Galea's compelling and compassionate new book shows us how we must create a strong foundation in order to avert further pandemics. He urges us to address our pervasive but neglected nonmedical issues, including the American tradition of proud individualism that prevents us from recognizing how our health is interconnected, and reminds us, vividly, that until we begin to invest in our communal physical and mental health, we will remain vulnerable to future threats." -- Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady

"The Contagion Next Time brings into clear focus why we have never been able to realize an equitable response during pandemics and what change agents can do to create more healthy, equitable, and empowered communities. Dr. Galea's illuminating and pathbreaking work will shape the global conversation around the forces that shape health for generations to come." -- Daniel E. Dawes, Executive Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and author of The Political Determinants of Health

"Galea offers a revelatory new conception of public health and disease prevention in this trenchant study of systemic inequity." --Publishers Weekly