Hey, everyone. I hope this podcast finds you healthy and safe wherever it is you are in the world right now.

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. It's really quite striking to be confronted with the full realization that we're living through

history and that life can change in what seemed like an instant. Of course, I'm talking about

the coronavirus or COVID-19, and today I'm talking to Dr. Bruce Bernard.

Dr. Bruce Bernard is a 30-year veteran of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention,

aka the CDC.

He's also the father of one of our dearest friends, Claire Bernard from Marin County.

And I've known Bruce very loosely just through our relationship with Claire and figured I would ask him to come on and chat with us today to get his perspective on this disease, what we can do, and what makes this a really unique point in history.

And he provides us with lots of interesting perspective, I think.

Bruce, again, as I said, worked to the CDC for 30 years.

He worked on things like the Ebola virus, the bird flu, H1N1, the West Nile virus, SARS, the World Trade Center bombings, and Zika virus, and thus has lots of relevant experience to what we're going through now.

So I really encourage you to listen to this one and take it to heart and listen to the end

because I also have a fun

little treat for you and the second iteration of Deb's Poetry Corner in which my mother-in-law

Deborah Buchanan will share one of her poems and a little bit of commentary as to why it's relevant

to our times.

So thank you guys for listening without further delay, Dr. Bruce Bernard.

Okay, I'm here with doctor slash captain Bruce Bernard.

Bruce is a longtime veteran of government service in the CDC and somebody

who is highly relevant to talk to given the circumstances in the U.S. and around the world right now.

So Dr. Bernard, thank you for talking to me today.

Yes, I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks for asking.

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