Dr. Eric Topol

So this is a first live podcast for who I consider a hero, Dr. Susan Monero.

A hero, I say, because she stood up for the integrity of science.

at a time when we don't see much of that anymore because of a culture of fear and all sorts of other reasons.

And so this is going back to Dr. Menier's background.

We're going to go through some of the events that she went through in her tenure at CDC, however brief that it was.

It wasn't at any time short of happenings.

And then we're going to head into the future now that she's a free agent.

So, Susan, welcome.

Well, thanks.

And I want to announce, too, that you just started a Substack.

It's called, tell me again, your Substack?

give the prelude that you exude optimism and you had to be to do what you've done, I have to say.

And as I think has become clear, that's an important quality for healthy aging.

And, you know, so it's great that you have that view now.

I thought we'd start off with background.

that you grew up in rural Wisconsin on a dairy farm, which your father had to sell to then he became a policeman.

Is that kind of the skinny on that?

And so there you were in Wisconsin.

Then you went to the top institution at UW-Madison University.

You got your baccalaureate and PhD degree there, and you're a full-fledged microbiologist, immunologist.