Tuesday at 7 PM. A Virtual Conversation with Ryan Prior, Author of The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic's Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever

[David Levine]

Science Writers in New York Invites You to A Virtual Conversation with Ryan Prior, Author of The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic's Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever Wednesday, November 30, at 7 PM EST on Zoom

On November 30, SWINY co-chair David Levine (@dlloydlevine) will talk with science journalist Ryan Prior (@r_prior) about his new book The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic’s Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever, which was published November 15 (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster).

As the global COVID-19 pandemic leaves millions with long-term disabling conditions, the survivors fight for recognition and research, which could help transform care for many overlooked diseases. To the world’s public health authorities, COVID-19 would either be a deadly disease for some, or it would be a simple respiratory illness for most—cleared up in a couple of weeks. But then tens of millions around the world got sick and stayed sick. With scientists and doctors caught off guard, these patients often found solace only in themselves, organizing support groups across continents while ill in bed. An innovative band of patients researched the disease themselves, flipping the script and illustrating a new paradigm for research. In these unprecedented times, the CDC and the WHO came to them. COVID “long haulers” found their new illness wasn’t so new. It resembled several post-viral syndromes, hard to treat and neglected by science for decades. In The Long Haul, Ryan  weaves in his own life, the stories of activist patients, and the latest science into a captivating tale of regular people crying out for care that works.

About Ryan Prior

Ryan Prior covered health, science, and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic as a journalist based at CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta. Ryan specializes in feature writing, going deep with characters who are on a mission, and who have a message for all of us. He is fascinated by figures, large and small, who dedicate their lives to changing our world,

He has profiled Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, legendary journalist Ted Koppel, and New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Land, to name a few. He is most passionate about writing on politics, foreign affairs, health, and science. In 2019, Ryan wrote about a college dropout, bedridden for 11 years, who went on to invent a new surgery and cure himself. The story received the highest engagement of any story published by CNN in 2019, and the third-highest for all online news outlets, according to Chartbeat. Ryan has walked along the Berlin Wall interviewing an artist who transformed the symbol of the Iron Curtain into the world's longest art gallery. He stood on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, where he interviewed entrepreneurs at the top 50 companies in the world with founders under 26. He walked the campaign trail filming Jon Ossoff, as the candidate sought victory in the most expensive House race in history. And he became a producer of the "Young People Who Rock" video series, which highlights young idealists seeking to change the world.

Have a question for Ryan you would like answered? Submit it here!

When: Wednesday, November 30 7 to 8 pm ET Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_radcapJiTKqhA0kNvTM9BA