University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

The Tipping Point challenges conventional wisdom of how an epidemic, whether an infectious disease or a social trend, starts and spreads. For example, a fashion idea may have been around for years, only a small change in the product itself or the social set-up make it a global trend. Similarly, a pathogen may have been around for years, but only a tiny change in the pathogen or the host behavior or practices would lead to an epidemic at certain times. As a microbiologist and immunologist, I have been trained to study one-to-one interactions whether it is a protein-to-protein or a bacterium to immune cell. I often forget that an infectious disease is a product of several factors: microbe, structure and behavior of microbial community, host, and structure and behavior of host community! The Tipping Point inspired me to go beyond classical empirical science and look for the collective factors that causes an infectious disease to spread or flame-out. Understanding these elements is key for controlling an infectious disease or a social behavior. Additionally, The Tipping Point encouraged me to think more broadly about how certain things in life work the way they do even when it makes no “scientific sense.”