Description
Book SynopsisDr. Alla Shapiro was a first physician-responder to the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine on April 26, 1986. Information about the explosion was withheld from first responders, who were not given basic supplies, detailed instructions, or protective clothing. Amid an eerie and pervasive silence, Dr. Shapiro treated traumatized children as she tried to protect her family. No protocols were in place because no one had anticipated the consequences of a nuclear accident. From the outset of the disaster, the Soviet government worsened matters by spreading misinformation; and first responders, including Alla, were ordered to partake in the deception of the public.
After years of persistent professional hostility and personal discrimination that she and her family experienced as Jewish citizens of the USSR, four generations of the Shapiro family fled the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. As émigrés, they were each allowed to take no more than 40 pounds of possessions and $90 in cash. Their escape route took them first to Vienna and then to Italy, where they were stranded as stateless persons for six months. Eventually the family received permission to enter the United States.
Motivated by her Chernobyl experiences, Alla Shapiro ultimately became one of the world’s leading experts in the development of medical countermeasures against radiation exposure. From 2003 to 2019, she worked for the FDA on disaster readiness and preparation. Dr. Shapiro issues stern warnings regarding the preparedness—or lack thereof—of America for the current Covid-19 pandemic. Doctor on Call exposes the horrifying truths of Chernobyl and alerts us to the deceptions that undermine our ability to respond to global disasters.
Trade Review“Alla Shapiro took me along on her odyssey, from the Soviet Union to the streets of Washington, DC, from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the while filling me with emotion and having me marvel at the human capacity to resettle and build a better life." —Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH Dean and Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Health, Former Acting US Surgeon General and Assistant Commissioner for Counterterrorism Policy, FDA
"This ground level, personal account of the Chernobyl catastrophe by a Ukrainian pediatrician is a riveting, fast read…the reader gains a keen understanding of the ethical dilemma of conscripted physicians who were forced to endure, as they worked tirelessly to understand and treat a unique spectrum of radiation-associated injuries that they had never before encountered. The relevance of Dr. Shapiro's story to today's COVID-19 pandemic and to potential future radiation accidents, malicious use of radioactive materials and nuclear war, is highlighted in the last chapters of the book…this is a must read.” —Nicholas Dainiak MD, FACP, Clinical Professor Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine
“A wonderful story of human resilience in the face of tremendous adversity….In our current world of so much uncertainty this memoir gives strength to the human spirit and brings important lessons to keep in mind as we face potential untold consequences from other disasters to come.” —Nelson Chao, MD, MBA Donald D. and Elizabeth G. Cooke Professor, Duke University
“Dr. Shapiro’s firsthand experience caring for victims of the Chernobyl disaster to her distinguished academic and regulatory career in the USA gives her a truly unique perspective on the intersection between public health and politics. These lessons are as timely for us today America as they were in 1986 during the Chernobyl disaster.” —Chris H. Takimoto, MD, PHD, Senior Vice President, Gilead Sciences
“This story is an intimate, first-hand, personal account of Alla Shapiro, MD., Ph.D. as she endures the trials and tribulations caused by the lies, deceptions, and harsh policies of the socialist regime in the USSR before, during, and after the 1986 Chernobyl radiation disaster….Few would be able to endure the same hardships that Alla experienced along her journey, but her passion and love for medicine and family gave her the strength and persistence. I wonder what she will tackle next?” —Bert W. Maidment, PHD, Radiation Nuclear Countermeasures Program, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health USA
“Dr. Shapiro chronicles her life in a country that discriminated against women and Jews and yet rises above it to be a hero, a physician, a scientist and a wonderful mother. From the worst nuclear disaster to a pandemic, Dr. Shapiro reveals that governments that were not prepared and lessons were not learned. Her story is emotional, inspiring and thought provoking. It is a must read for everyone.” —Laurie E. Sower, PHD, Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc
“There needs to be strong communication not only within the country, but amongst international communities. So much depends on our preparedness, and so many deaths could’ve been avoided at Chernobyl. And the same with Covid-19. The former Soviet Union didn’t know how to prepare for such a disaster. The United States did know how to prepare but failed to do it.”
Jennifer Nalewicki, The Smithsonian Magazine, April 27, 2021“Mikhail Gorbachev called the Chernobyl disaster the real cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The silence and secrecy from Soviet officials defined the aftermath of the explosion. Government officials, instead of scientists were providing the information. Shapiro says the government’s role in “downplaying disaster” and “telling lies
Ultimately propelled the tragedy--something many with lingering illnesses are still reeling today.” Peter O’Dowd and Serena McMahon, WBUR Here and Now
“Her experiences as an immigrant will resonate with readers and serve as a timely rejection of xenophobia. Those eager to learn more about life in the Soviet Union or the Chernobyl disaster will uncover many absorbing details in this book. Those looking for an inspirational read won’t be disappointed, either.” Anne Blankman, Jewish Book Council
Table of ContentsTable of ContentsIntroduction
Prologue - The Future Looks Different from the Past
PART I Chernobyl: Doctor on Call
Chapter 1- Nuclear Spring, 1986
Chapter 2 - Rx For Radiation: Take as Directed
Chapter 3 – Olga Leaves and Natasha Returns
Chapter 4 - The Human Toll of Displacement
Chapter 5- A Radioactive Fallacy
Chapter 6- Doctors on Call
Chapter 7 - Red Wine Improves Doctor-Patient Communications
PART II An Extraordinary Journey
Chapter 8- We Left Behind Years of Prejudice and Lies
Chapter 9 -Citizens Without the Country
Chapter 10- Fear and Fortitude
Chapter 11- An Immigrant’s Guide
Chapter 12 - The Tale of the Wandering Jew
Chapter 13 – Prequel the “Trans-Siberian” Express
Chapter 14 - This Was No “Roman Holiday”
Chapter 15 - Live Hard, Sell Hard: The Americana Flea Market in Rome
Chapter 16 – The Pretty Woman Guide to Hitchhiking
Chapter 17 – Global Historic Events Unite Us
Chapter 18 – Barbie Also Wears a Stethoscope
Chapter 19 - My Medical Residency, Take Two
Chapter 20 – A Highway Legend
Chapter 21 –Taking Root in America
PART III Looking Back to Protect the Future
Chapter 22 – Recipient of the Order of the Nervous Neutron
Chapter 23 – Children of Chernobyl
Chapter 24 - At the Roots of a New Drug Discovery
Chapter 25 – The Pursuit of One Gram of Indralin
Chapter 26 – Chernobyl: Twenty Years After
Chapter 27 – On the Shoulders of Giants
Chapter 28 – Who Will Live and Who Will Die?
Chapter 29 - Chernobyl: Thirty Years After
Chapter 30- Wisdom Comes with Experience
Chapter 31- Converging Catastrophes: Chernobyl and COVID-19
Chapter 32- A Disaster will Strike Again: Are We Prepared?
Epilogue
References
