The Art and Politics of Science - Hardcover

Varmus, Harold

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393061280 ISBN 13: 9780393061284

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009

Synopsis

A Nobel Prize-winning cancer biologist, leader of major scientific institutions, and veteran of science policy wars reflects on his remarkable career.

Jeffrey Sachs has called Harold Varmus a “global scientist-statesman who bridges science and society to solve the weightiest global challenges.” But as readers will learn in this engaging memoir chronicling one man’s series of remarkable careers, as well as some of the central health-policy issues of our time, Varmus didn’t decide that he was drawn to medicine until he was one year into a PhD in English literature! Changing course in characteristically adventurous fashion, Varmus dove headfirst into medical school, shifted shortly after graduating from practice to research, and soon found himself at the forefront of cancer research at the University of California, San Francisco, on his way toward a Nobel Prize in Medicine.

In 1993, Varmus transformed from an academic scientist to a political one when President Clinton asked him to direct the National Institutes of Health. After six years at the NIH, he took the reins as president of the world-renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a position he still holds. Along the way, Varmus has continued his own laboratory work, remains committed to collaborative science, and still finds time to ride his bike to work.

Beyond the elegant combination of science and biography, this is a book about health issues of truly global importance. Varmus’s work on cancer-causing genes foreshadowed the development of the recent targeted therapies for cancer. At the NIH, he not only persuaded Congress to commit record funds to national health programs but also turned attention to international concerns like the worldwide malaria crisis. And, as he discusses in these pages, he has long been an enthusiastic yet nuanced supporter of stem cell research. The Art and Politics of Science is a glimpse into the world of high-stakes, big-budget science narrated by a man intimately acquainted with its everyday applications―an education for people in all walks of life from a scientist whose own research and professional commitments helped to shape our scientific age.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

“The Art and Politics of Science is a unique work by a remarkable global leader: a brilliant scientist with the sensibilities of an artist and the leadership skills of a consummate politician. Harold Varmus has done it all―Nobel Prize–winning breakthroughs in cancer biology, masterful leadership of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during its period of greatest expansion, statesmanship of the highest order in global health, and cheerful trench warfare to bring biomedical publications to the open-source Internet age. [This] book is captivating, fascinating, and ever instructive. It will be read the world over with enormous delight and benefit.”―Jeffrey D. Sachs, director, The Earth Institute

“Through an artful melding of science and policy, Harold Varmus conveys not only the excitement of forefront research but also the richly textured human dramas that swirl around pivotal discoveries.”―Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe
 
“Varmus makes this era’s revolution in biological knowledge as comprehensible as it possibly can be. Varmus’s broad abilities in scientific, literary, and political realms are evident in this graceful and often gently humorous book.”―James Fallows, author of Blind into Baghdad: America’s War in Iraq

“If you’ve ever wondered about the early life of a budding scientist, the experience of doing cutting-edge research, or the translation of brilliant work into public service, read the account of this passionate, politically engaged, deeply humane scientist and marvel at the richness of a life well spent.”―Andrea Barrett, National Book Award–winning author of Ship Fever
 
“Harold Varmus is a person of legendary charm and limitless vision who has put his gifted mind to the service of science, health, and above all . . . the people of the world. I loved this book.”―Donna E. Shalala, president, University of Miami, and former secretary, Health and Human Services

“Any time any one of us has a cancer scare, or worse, we can be grateful to Harold Varmus and his extraordinary life in science. We are all lucky that Dr. Varmus left literature for medicine. And now, reading this book, we can be grateful that he is so very gifted in both.”―Jonathan Weiner, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Beak of the Finch

About the Author:

Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute and president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, lives with his wife, Constance Casey, and their two sons in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0393061280
• ISBN 13: 9780393061284
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256