In 2008 in Paris, at the Élysée Palace, French President Nicolas Sarkozy pinned the Légion D’honneur medal to Dr. Zerhouni’s suit jacket.
Photo Credit: Arnaud Roiné/Présidence de la République
Disease Knows No Politics is a timely, inspirational medical and political memoir that champions the American Dream and 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 being director of President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed to create a COVID vaccine, has crafted a book that is both memoir and manifesto. Among the many lessons included, “disease knows no politics” is paramount. It refers to how the NIH should function, and how our society should manage its staggeringly dysfunctional health care system. To the greatest extent possible, science and public health must be kept separate from partisan politics.
For Dr. Zerhouni, the principle “disease knows no politics” would be a guiding star as he steered the NIH through stormy political waters. including the embryonic stem cell research debate. As director, he believed the agency’s mission was sacred. The NIH needed to be at the service of all Americans, regardless of their political preferences. race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. No disease could be off limits.
As NIH director, Dr. Zerhouni sat down with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as part of a visit where they discussed HIV and other infectious disease research in India and in global health. Photo Credit: NIH
In a broader sense, in this memoir, as an academic leader, businessman, scientist, and doctor, Zerhouni provides lessons and insights relevant to readers of all these and other backgrounds seeking to advance their leadership skills and sharpen their business acumen.
As a young man, Dr. Zerhouni journeyed from Algiers to Johns Hopkins, arriving in America with his loving wife Nadia and a few hundred dollars in his pocket. He built his career as a radiologist through heartfelt patient care and groundbreaking research. From using MRI to noninvasively put a magnetic tag on the beating heart, to differentiating between benign and malignant lung nodules with an innovative reference phantom, Dr. Zerhouni’s work was defined by a relentless, empathetic spirit of innovation.
Dr. Zerhouni rose the ranks of academia, helping to transform the research enterprise at Johns Hopkins by ushering in the same multidisciplinary approach that made his own lab excel, and which has, in the present, become the standard in the scientific world.
President Bush toured the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) in 2003, accompanied by (from left) NIAID Director Tony Fauci, Dr. Zerhouni, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge. Standing directly next to the President was VRC Director Gary Nabel.
Breaking down the barriers of scientific disciplines (for the purpose of meeting pressing research needs and energizing innovation) was a guiding principle during his later tenure as NIH director. The NIH needed to be restructured to support crucial multidisciplinary research projects. Drawing input from the scientific community, Dr. Zerhouni spearheaded the creation of the NIH Roadmap, a blueprint for 21st century medical research.
This roadmap was later institutionalized in 2006 with the passing of the NIH Reform Act through overwhelming bipartisan support and the leadership of key legislators such as Senator Ted Kennedy. Here, Congress realized: Disease Knows No Politics. Dr. Zerhouni’s commitment to bipartisanship and protecting the NIH from political interference was unflinching and matched only by his unwavering support for young investigators and pioneering. breakthrough science.
Dr. Zerhouni conversing with Prince Charles during a royal visit to the NIH in 2005.
Credit: NIH
Following his tenure at NIH, Dr. Zerhouni traveled the world as a presidential envoy for Barack Obama, helping to foster scientific and technological collaborations between the United States and foreign countries. Among other places, his travels took him from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s India.
Later, in the pharma industry, at Sanofi, and eventually. ModeX and OPKO, Dr. Zerhouni helped accelerate the transformation of discoveries into groundbreaking therapies for patients. His memoir ends as his career, and battle to free patients from suffering and disease, presses on.
Despite all he has accomplished, Dr. Zerhouni remains humble, and he credits the greatness of the United States for making his American Dream possible. He believes that only in America could he have risen so high. His memoir, while recounting his life story, is fashioned to serve the country that has given him so much.
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As NIH Director, Dr. Zerhouni joined institute and center directors and senior staff for a group photo in front of the Bolger Center in Potomac, Maryland, where they had gathered for a leadership forum.
Photo Credit: NIH
President Bush during a visit of his to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2007. Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich is between the President and Dr. Zerhouni. NCI Director Andrew von Eschenbach is standing to his right.
Photo Credit: NIH
March of 2008. From left to right: Senator Ted Kennedy, Nadia (Dr. Zerhouni’s wife), Dr. Zerhouni, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. They were gathered to honor the latter, whose monumental efforts had helped create the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In light of Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s noble, tireless contributions, the institute had been newly renamed in her honor.
Credit: NIH
On Saturday, September 8, 2012, NIH hosted a day of compelling presentations and “live remotes” as part of a 3-day “Celebration of Science,” in collaboration with FasterCures, the Milken Institute’s Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions. Seated from left to right: Dr. Zerhouni, NIH Director Francis Collins, Philanthropist and Businessman Michael Milken, Former NIH Director Harold Varmus.
Photo Credit: NIH/FasterCures
“Dr. Elias Zerhouni’s case for keeping politics and special interests out of medicine and scientific research could not be timelier -- or more needed.”
Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases & Injuries
"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."
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director
"Elias Zerhouni writes compellingly, and with remarkable modesty, candor, and good humor, about his extraordinary successes as a medical scientist, practitioner, executive, and engineer in academia, government, and industry. That he came to this country from Algeria enhances his compelling story and reminds us of how great our country can be."
Former NIH Director, Nobel Laureate
"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. We can all learn from the lessons in this book, and Dr. Zerhouni’s diverse life experiences, including the way he worked with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to obtain bipartisan support for the NIH Reform Act, key legislation that shaped the NIH to meet the challenges of a new century."
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Former President of the University of Wisconsin System, Former Four-term Governor of Wisconsin
"Elias Zerhouni takes us through the powerful story of his life, from the shimmering shores of Algiers to the lofty halls of the U.S. Capitol, illustrating crucial lessons along the way. He 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. "
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."
Chairman of the Milken Institute, Founder of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
"Disease Knows No Politics traces the arc of Elias Zerhouni’s unique career and extraordinary immigrant journey. From humble beginnings in an Algerian village to his trials and triumphs leading America’s biomedical empire, we glean pearls about leadership, integrity, and compassion — virtues Elias Zerhouni exemplifies as few others could. For those interested in medicine, health, and science, Disease Knows No Politics is a must-read."
Former National Institute of Mental Health Director, Author of Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health
"This timely memoir delves into the worlds of science, medicine, business, and academia through the unique, paradigm-shifting lens of Dr. Zerhouni’s remarkable life journey. Disease Knows No Politics is both memoir and manifesto, reminding us of the need to keep partisan politics out of the treatment of disease and the importance of vigilantly protecting the NIH from encroaching ideological forces."
Former Congressman, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization
"I have admired Elias Zerhouni and his insights into individuals and institutions for nearly 30 years. This delightful memoir details how these abilities evolved and enabled him to lead a remarkable life, full of lasting impacts on the many organizations he touched."
Former Editor-in-chief of Science, Former National Institute of General Medical Sciences Director
"The late Albert Szent-Györgyi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937, once asserted, “Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” This quote encapsulates who Elias is: one who sees solutions, where others only see problems. An uncommon mind."
Former President of Johns Hopkins University, Former President of the Salk Institute
"Dr. Zerhouni is an expert medical scientist, innovator, and entrepreneur whose skills set him apart from others. This memoir illustrates his inspiring life journey with compelling detail. It’s a must-read for all young scientists seeking to make an impact."
Former CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Former Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
"Elias Zerhouni’s maxim to lead with ‘heart, spine and brain, in that order’ comes to life through his telling of the challenges he faced and overcame throughout his extraordinary career to date. His memoir is an authentic, morally grounded and significant read. It’s also a great pleasure, as love of family and openness to learning and mentoring are in the forefront. Few people have succeeded as has Dr. Zerhouni in navigating political realities in putting research and innovation to work to benefit people world-wide."
President of Research!America