Dr. Alla Shapiro was a first physician-responder to the worst nuclear
disaster in history: the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Station in Ukraine on April 26, 1986. Information about the explosion
was withheld from first responders, who were not given basic supplies,
detailed instructions, or protective clothing. Amid an eerie and
pervasive silence, Dr. Shapiro treated traumatized children as she tried
to protect her family. No protocols were in place because no one had
anticipated the consequences of a nuclear accident. From the outset of
the disaster, the Soviet government worsened matters by spreading
misinformation; and first responders, including Alla, were ordered to
partake in the deception of the public.
After years of persistent professional hostility and personal
discrimination that she and her family experienced as Jewish citizens of
the USSR, four generations of the Shapiro family fled the Soviet Union
in the late 1980s. As émigrés, they were each allowed to take no more
than 40 pounds of possessions and $90 in cash. Their escape route took
them first to Vienna and then to Italy, where they were stranded as
stateless persons for six months. Eventually the family received
permission to enter the United States.
Motivated by her Chernobyl experiences, Alla Shapiro ultimately became
one of the world's leading experts in the development of medical
countermeasures against radiation exposure. From 2003 to 2019, she
worked for the FDA on disaster readiness and preparation. Dr. Shapiro
issues stern warnings regarding the preparedness--or lack thereof--of
America for the current Covid-19 pandemic. Doctor on Call exposes the
horrifying truths of Chernobyl and alerts us to the deceptions that
undermine our ability to respond to global disasters.