Leading biodefense expert Mark Kortepeter, M.D., professor of epidemiology in the UNMC College of Public Health, has written a medical thriller about his personal experiences with deadly infectious diseases.
“Inside the Hot Zone,” a physician’s memoir about the dangers, drama, fear and uncertainty of defending against bioweapons threats, is now available for pre-order through Potomac Books, Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. (It also can be ordered through the UNMC Bookstore.) Those interested in reviewing it online can post a review after the formal Jan. 1 launch date.
Dr. Kortepeter, a retired Army colonel with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), takes readers behind the scenes and into the laboratories where scientists study defenses against national threats like weaponized smallpox, botulism and Ebola.
“The book is highly relevant for public health and medicine and contains a lot of information on the ground truth of major national infectious disease crises,” he said.
“Although the book is non-fiction, I crafted it to read like a medical thriller as I provide an insider’s perspective from my roles at the Army’s biodefense lab at Fort Detrick, Md., dealing with the 2001 anthrax attacks, a threat to the White House, smallpox preparation for war, Ebola and many other challenges.”
His first novel was “Biohazard 9-1-1,” about a physician in a small town who finds himself in a race against time to stop an outbreak before it becomes a worldwide disaster. He also was the lead editor of
“USAMRIID’S Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook” and a co-editor of “The Nebraska Isolation and Quarantine Manual.”