Overview
āI am opposed to heart disease and cancer the way one is opposed to sin.ā With that as her battle cry, health activist and philanthropistĀ Mary Woodard Lasker had a singular goal: saving lives by increasing medical research. Together with her husband, advertising geniusĀ Albert, they created the Lasker Foundation,Ā bestowing the Lasker Awards. Known as theĀ āAmerican Nobels,ā these became the most prestigious research awards in America. TheĀ Laskersā next step was transforming the sleepyĀ and ineffectual American Society for the Control of Cancer, reinventing it as the American Cancer Society in 1944.Ā
But the real increase in medical researchĀ funding occurred when Mary discovered aĀ revolutionary source: the federal government. āIām just a catalytic agent,ā she would insist, while she tirelessly lobbied Congress and presidentsĀ alike. She played a major role in expandingĀ the National Institutes of Health from aĀ single entity to the largest research facility in the world. A feminist who used her femininityĀ wisely, Maryās ultimate victory was bringingĀ together two political adversaries to help launch the original cancer moonshot: the 1971 National Cancer Act.Ā
This deeply researched biography paints the portrait of a woman who was savvy, steely, and deliberate. Mary Lasker courageously positionedĀ herself at the crossroads of politics, science,Ā and medicine. At a time when women in re- search laboratories and the halls of CongressĀ were anomalies, she smashed stereotypesĀ in the fashion of Jeannette Rankin, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Shirley Chisholm.Ā As eloquently described in this absorbingĀ history, the countryās march to conquerĀ humanityās most feared maladies was well- fueled by its fearless and feisty crusader,Ā Mary Lasker.
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This book title, Crusade to Heal America (The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker), ISBN: 9798887701561, by Judith L. Pearson, published by Mayo Clinic Press (September 19, 2023) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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