Dr. Eric Topol

You went to Stanford for postdocs.

I mean, you had some incredible training.

And then you decided you're going to be doing work in the government, various government agencies.

I didn't even know the depth of all these agencies that you've been working at.

What, for 18 years or so?

Maybe you can tell us a little bit about that run because you've been with BARDA, Homeland Security, ARPA-H.

I mean, wow.

Yeah.

That's saying a lot considering the challenges you had subsequently.

It kind of culminated though, then you were made deputy director of ARPA-H in 2023, right?

For the country.

That's what it was conceived as with initially a $6 billion support or something like that.

Anyway, so here you are.

You're at ARPA-H.

You're providing this important directing function.

And then you get the call to be the acting director of the CDC for two months, I guess, January to March.

And that's, of course, in the middle of, what, five outbreaks?

Oh, so that takes us towards the end of March after two months as acting director of CDC.

And then you were, of course, in suspension about being made the real director.

And this was the first time in history that this required Senate confirmation.