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Cover image of The Impatient Dr. Lange
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The Impatient Dr. Lange

One Man's Fight to End the Global HIV Epidemic

Seema Yasmin
foreword by Princess Mabel van Oranje

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The incredible story of Joep Lange’s life and his unrelenting quest to end the HIV epidemic.

When Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian rebels in July 2014, the world wondered if a cure for HIV had fallen from the sky and disappeared among the burning debris. Seated in the plane’s business-class cabin was Joseph Lange, better known as Joep, a shrewd Dutch doctor who had revolutionized the world of HIV and AIDS and was working on a cure.

Dr. Lange graduated from medical school in 1981, right as a new plague swept across the globe. His story became intertwined with the story...

The incredible story of Joep Lange’s life and his unrelenting quest to end the HIV epidemic.

When Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian rebels in July 2014, the world wondered if a cure for HIV had fallen from the sky and disappeared among the burning debris. Seated in the plane’s business-class cabin was Joseph Lange, better known as Joep, a shrewd Dutch doctor who had revolutionized the world of HIV and AIDS and was working on a cure.

Dr. Lange graduated from medical school in 1981, right as a new plague swept across the globe. His story became intertwined with the story of HIV. At once a physician, scientist, AIDS activist, and medical diplomat, Lange studied ways to battle HIV and prevent its spread from mother to child. Fighting the injustices of poverty, Lange advocated for better access to health care for the poor and the vulnerable. He championed the drug cocktail that finally helped rein in the disease and was a vocal proponent of prophylactic treatment for those most at risk of contracting HIV.

The Impatient Dr. Lange is the story of one man’s struggle against a global pandemic—and the tragic attack that may have slowed down the search for a cure. Seema Yasmin charts the course of the HIV epidemic and Dr. Lange's career as a young doctor who blazed his own path and dedicated his life to HIV. Yasmin draws on written records, medical journals, recorded discussions, expert testimony, and extensive interviews with Lange’s family, friends, and colleagues around the globe—including the people he spoke to in the days before he died. She faithfully reconstructs key scenes from Lange’s life and the history of the AIDS epidemic, revealing how Lange became a global leader in the fight against AIDS.

The first book about Lange and his contributions to the fight against HIV, The Impatient Dr. Lange is a powerful tribute to one of the greatest scientists, activists, humanitarians, and social entrepreneurs in the world of HIV/AIDS.

Reviews

Reviews

More than just a biography, The Impatient Dr. Lange is a must-read for medical students and history buffs; it is also a sociopolitical overview of Europe and Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. The heartbreaking stories of HIV and AIDS patients across the globe, paired with Lange’s relentless drive, propel the narrative forward. Clear, concise, and thoroughly researched, this book shows how one person with ambition, compassion, hope, and the right resources can accomplish extraordinary things.

Engrossing

Yasmin offers a vivid sense of Lange's complexity, his faults and virtues, and the people and the causes he loved... Readers interested in the history of HIV and AIDS or biographies of persons who played a significant role in global health will find this a fascinating read.

A remarkably well-written and engaging book. Yasmin brings out Lange's special personality and accomplishments while covering complex medical issues and situations understandably for the lay reader. Inspiring.

The Impatient Dr. Lange is two things. It is first of all a thrilling history of the investigation of one of the greatest plagues in human history, written by a scientist who intimately understands the challenge that the HIV epidemic posed to humanity. It is also a eulogy for a great scientist, written by his younger protégé. These two strands combine for wonderful reading.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.5
x
8.5
Pages
208
ISBN
9781421426624
Illustration Description
5 b&w photos
Table of Contents

Foreword
How This Book Came to Be

Chapter One. The End
Chapter Two. Origin Stories
Chapter Three. The Epidemic
Chapter Four. Learn Your Enemy
Chapter Five. Unusual Bureaucrat
Chapter Six. Trials
Chapt

Foreword
How This Book Came to Be

Chapter One. The End
Chapter Two. Origin Stories
Chapter Three. The Epidemic
Chapter Four. Learn Your Enemy
Chapter Five. Unusual Bureaucrat
Chapter Six. Trials
Chapter Seven. Denial
Chapter Eight. A Is for Activist
Chapter Nine. Money and Faith
Chapter Ten. Cure
Epilogue

Acknowledgments
Index

Author Bios
Seema Yasmin
Featured Contributor

Seema Yasmin

Seema Yasmin is an Emmy Award–winning health reporter, epidemiologist, and medical doctor. The director of the Stanford Center for Health Communication and a clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, she is the author of Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, Inspiration, and Adventure and The Impatient Dr. Lange: One Man's Fight to End...