An interview with Lawrence Brilliant, M.D. ’69, M.P.H., conducted by Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson for the Today@Wayne Podcast will be available beginning Nov. 22.
The 30-minute interview covers the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Brilliant’s time at the WSU School of Medicine and the joy of a service-oriented life.
Board certified in preventive medicine, epidemiology and public health, Dr. Brilliant is the president and chief executive officer of the Skoll Global Threats Fund. He heads a team whose mission is to confront global threats imperiling humanity, such as pandemics, climate change, water safety, nuclear proliferation and the Middle East conflicts.
He has served as vice president of Google and executive director of Google.org, and is one of the founders of the Seva Foundation, an international non-government organization overseeing programs that have restored sight to more than 3 million blind people in 20 countries.
Dr. Brilliant also worked as a United Nations medical officer in India for more than 10 years, where he helped run the successful World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication program. He worked with the WHO polio eradication effort as well.
Outside the medical field, Dr. Brilliant holds a telecommunications patent and co-founded the virtual community The Well, a pioneering digital community. He has written numerous articles on health policy and related topics, and two books.
Among Dr. Brilliant’s honors are a Community Peacemaker Award from WSU’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, the WSU School of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award, a TED Prize, Time Magazine accolades as one of the 20 most influential scientists and thinkers, and one of the 100 most influential people in the world, being named an International Public Health Hero by the University of California and a Global Leadership Award from the United Nations.
He has an honorary doctor of sciences degree from Knox College, and served as a senior technical advisor for the film “Contagion.”
The podcast will be available through the podcast webpage at https://today.wayne.edu/podcast as well as through Apple, Spotify or Google Podcasts. There will be a YouTube video as well at https://today.wayne.edu/.