A high-profile physician-scientist who writes widely and has a large social media presence, Topol has used his platform throughout the pandemic to push for broader masking and vaccination programs, and for federal funding to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine against all variants of SARS-CoV-2. In 2020, he publicly excoriated then-FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn for bowing to Trump administration pressure to approve hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma as Covid-19 treatments. He founded the Scripps Research Translational Institute in 2006 after gaining fame as a cardiologist exploring genetically engineered heart medicines such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).
From STAT:
