'Whiplash: From the Battle for Obamacare to the War on Science'

Join us for a book signing, reading, and discussion with Dr. David Blumenthal, professor of the practice of public health and health policy at Harvard and former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, of his new book co-authored with James A. Morone, Whiplash: From the Battle for Obamacare to the War on Science.

In Whiplash, Blumenthal goes behind the scenes to examine how three very different presidents, pursuing very different goals, navigated the fraught politics of health care. President Obama ended the century-long quest for reform but ignited a culture war that intensified during the Trump administration and the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump, facing the greatest health crisis in a century, denied and delayed, but also helped drive a medical breakthrough through Operation Warp Speed. He and President Biden, confronting the pandemic’s economic fallout, supported one of the most significant anti-poverty efforts in decades. Amid this turbulence, a new political battle emerged??"not over coverage, but over science itself.

Blumenthal will be in conversation with Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford, Physician-Journalist in Residence, and author of Fragmented. They will discuss the scientific and political forces driving change in U.S. health care, the impact on everyday lives, and how ??" and even if ??" health care can improve across deep partisan lines.

This program will include a reading from Whiplash, a moderated discussion, audience Q&A, and a book signing. Appetizers will be served.