A curious 8-year-old with a love for chemistry grows up to investigate some of America's most dangerous disease outbreaks—then risks his entire career to speak truth to power.

Dr. Don Weiss spent more than two decades as an epidemiologist, investigating everything from post-9/11 anthrax letters to lead poisoning outbreaks. But one of his biggest challenges would come later in his career, when he decided to become a whistleblower.

During the 2022 Mpox outbreak in New York City, Dr. Weiss believed the official health messaging was dangerously misleading. When his internal concerns were ignored, he faced an impossible choice: stay silent or speak out and risk destroying his career. In the end, he chose integrity over job security—and the article published in the New York Times meant that his career would ultimately pay the price.

References for Our Discussion

◼️ [New Book] Disease Detectives: True Stories of NYC Outbreaks

◼️ Debate Over Monkeypox Messaging Divides N.Y.C. Health Department

Guest

◼️Dr. Don Weiss

Host(s) & Producer(s)

◼️ Leshawn Benedict, MPH, MSc, PMP®

◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®

Production Notes

◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music Room

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