Behind the Mask

The Untold Story of the Scientists Who Confronted COVID-19

Michael S. Kinch

• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781626713512
  9781626713505
• eBook ISBN:
  9781626713529
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Public Health, Administration & Care
• Index: Social Sciences

In the early weeks of 2020, a small group of scientists recognized the growing danger of an emerging microbial threat. They quickly organized their colleagues into a collaborative team that met weekly, dedicated to innovating new approaches to combat COVID-19 as the pandemic unfolded. The resulting CrisiScience Collaborative would swell to hundreds of high-profile members, including Nobel laureate scientists, engineers, and business leaders—all of whom volunteered to anticipate and solve problems. Their activities were performed in the background, and while going mostly unnoticed, their contributions would save countless lives. Behind the Mask is the largely unknown story of selfless acts and innovative thinking during the earliest days of COVID-19 when so much was unknown and the future felt uncertain. Fundamentally, this is a story of cooperation during a crisis that demonstrates what can be done when we unite against a common enemy.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Copyright Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword: Cinematic Inspirations
• Prologue: Healthy Prospects
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Crowning Achievements
• 2 Origin Stories
• 3 A New View
• 4 False Prophets and Real Profits
• 5 Bad Air
• 6 Bad Blood
• 7 Just Do Something!
• 8 Nothing to Sneeze at
• 9 Warped Ideas
• 10 A Long View
• 11 COVID Stole More Than We Realize
• 12 The Implication of Inflammation
• 13 A Forgettable Future?
• 14 The Baby Conundrum
• 15 Jab and Parry Redux
• 16 Facing a Brighter Future
• Notes
• References
• Index
• About the Author