The History of Smallpox Eradication - Dr Larry Brilliant - Audio

Larry Brilliant is the Vice-President, Google, Inc. and Chief Philanthropy Evangelist. As Chief Philanthropy Evangelist, Dr. Larry Brilliant is responsible for representing Google to foundations, nonprofits, universities, and government agencies advocating for the partnerships and initiatives needed to solve the global challenges of our age. Larry is an M.D. and M.P.H., board-certified in preventive medicine, epidemiology and public health. He was one of a four person international team that lead the successful WHO smallpox eradication program in India and South Asia. He later founded The Seva Foundation, which works in dozens of countries around the world, primarily to eliminate preventable and curable blindness. Seva's projects have given back sight to nearly 3 million people since its founding in 1978.

He serves as Chairman of the National Biosurveillance Advisory Subcommittee (NBAS) established by Presidential directive. He was elected to membership in the Council on Foreign Relations in 2009. Time magazine named him to the TIME 100, as one of the 20 most influential scientists and thinkers and one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.

As of June 2009, Dr Brilliant became President of the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund. He also sits on the boards of Health Metrics Network, and Omidyar Networks Humanity United. He was a professor of international health and epidemiology at the University of Michigan for ten years and is the author of two books including "The Management of Smallpox Eradication in India" (1980) and dozens of scientific articles on infectious diseases, blindness, and international health policy. He was recently a “first responder” for CDC’s smallpox bio-terrorism response effort, volunteered in Sri Lanka for tsunami relief, and established “Pandefense,” an interdisciplinary consultancy to prepare for possible pandemic influenza. Larry lived in India working as a United Nations medical officer for more than a decade when he worked in the successful World Health Organization (WHO) smallpox eradication program and has recently worked for the WHO polio eradication program in India. Wired and TIME magazine call Larry a "technology visionary" for his role as co-founder of The Well, a pioneering virtual community, with Stewart Brand in 1985. He also holds a telecommunications technology patent and has served as CEO of two public companies and other venture-backed start-ups before becoming a Vice President at Google. Larry-Brilliant-and-Indian-cropped.gif

He has received several awards from the Government of India and from WHO and has been awarded two honorary doctorate degrees. He has been awarded numerous honors and awards, among them he was named "International Public Health Hero" by the University of California in 2004. In February 2006 he received the TED Prize. In 2008 he was named one of the Humanitarians of the Year by the United Nationsl Organization.