Elizabeth Reed Aden is a biomedical anthropologist turned biotech strategist with a career spanning epidemiology, virology, and global pharma leadership. After earning her PhD studying hepatitis B in Vanuatu, she left academia for biotech and then Big Pharma, rising to Senior Vice President of Global Pharmaceutical Strategy at a top Swiss company.
A pioneer in personalized medicine, she recently crafted a national implementation plan for precision healthcare in a G7 country. A native of Berkeley, California, she resides there today.
About Mud, Microbes, & Medicine
Perfect for fans of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Lab Girl, the book traces Aden’s path from remote Pacific Island research to the upper ranks of global pharma. Where science collides with colonialism, money, and power, Aden asks who wins, who gets sidelined, and what happens when idealism meets politics.
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like…”
The Emperor of All Maladies, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, The Hot Zone, Lessons in Chemistry, The Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Plant Hunter, Lab Girl, A Lab of One’s Own, Educated, and Return to Laughter.
How did you plot out the content of your book?
I did not formally plot out the content but looked to include my interesting and unusual adventures during my time in Melanesia. I had a clear sense of chronology based on my memories which were supplemented by letters I had saved. These letters were written to me, and I had carbon copies of my letters.
I originally wanted to include my family’s story, but that made the book too long, so I opted to incorporate relevant bits and pieces where they fit in easily during the editing process.
Did you write in timeline order or have any specific process for getting your first draft down?
I did not write in timeline order as some events naturally evoked earlier memories or had consequences later on. As a result, while there is a general chronology it is complemented by adding background for context and occasional foreshadowing for dramatic effect.
Did you have trouble writing about yourself, or was it fun and freeing?
It took half a century and a successful career to have the courage to allow myself to describe and expose my foibles, mistakes, and naiveté. I rationalized that I would be providing a unique and honest perspective of the difficulties encountered when going to live in a foreign culture.
I thought my experiences could be relevant to future anthropologists, Peace Corps volunteers, military stationed overseas, members of the foreign service, and even expatriates who take overseas opportunities. Moreover, I expected that people who allowed themselves to be emersed in a foreign culture would find comfort in knowing their experience(s) was an integral as part of the adaptation/enculturation process.
How do you handle including dialogue in a memoir?
I use dialogue to break up the narrative and to highlight my key points as well as to humanize my experiences and people. Dialogue draws the reader into significant events, embellishes the vignette, and adds variety to the story telling. I used it sparingly to move the story forward while offering alternative perspectives.
Did you have any input on the cover?
Oh, yes. The first cover concepts were based on the original working title of HEPATITIS Beach which incorporates a pun since my fieldwork was studying hepatitis B virus and being on a beach. The proposed cover showed a beach framed by palm trees with virus particles floating in the sky—it looked like a cruise ship brochure offering the vision of a viral nightmare—too close to reality!
I rejected this concept and requested a different cover designer who was given a range of concepts and photos. Everyone agreed the picture of the young me sitting in the office of my advisor was the best cover and the stripes were a unique motif.
How important was the setting of your book in telling the story that you wanted to tell?
A remote island in Melanesia with no modern conveniences like electricity or running water is a unique setting. I had to learn to survival skills, a new language, and integrate into a foreign culture.
The setting and duration were critical to my transformation from a twenty-something “Safari Barbie” into a culturally-sensitive participant observer and confident risk-taker in making career changes and choices. I welcomed the opportunity to move to new geographies including Switzerland and New York as well as embrace foreign languages.
Without providing spoilers, what is one moment that you feature in your book that you would most like to go back in time to change?
That’s a tough question because changing one event could affect all subsequent events. The one event I might change was not getting married at nineteen.
Do you try to hit a certain page or word count with each writing session?
Sometimes but I’ve learned to go with the word flow whenever I have the chance to write. I don’t worry about the number of words because I want to explore and research various concepts and ensure that I have captured my ideas in a clear and interesting way.
Do you have any writing rituals?
No writing rituals per se—just a fact checking obsession. A coffee latte is a nice complement to my laptop when I write in “office” which is atop my bed, although I have been known to write at the dining room table.
Where did you write this book?
Mud, Microbes & Medicine was written in Berkeley, California and revised in Valencia, Spain. My husband and I spend our time between these two cities.
What are your favorite memoirs?
- The Double Helix by James Watson.
- Letters from the Field by Margaret Mead.
- The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley.
- Next of Kin by Roger Fout.
What are your passions/hobbies outside of writing?
I love horseback riding and have been an avid rider for sixty years engaged in everything from dressage, jumping, and endurance riding. Exploring new places off the beaten path such as every country that was part of Yugoslavia years before they were “discovered.”
Solving puzzles and playing games are pleasurable pastime interludes.
If given the chance, would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
I’d own a bookstore because I could interact with readers/customers. I’d enjoy the challenge of figuring out what they want to read and why. Sales figures are a great way to see if you’re meeting the needs of your customers.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want it to be turned into a movie or series? Any casting preferences?
- Hollywood should make Mud, Microbes & Medicine into a limited series. My many career turns and twists lend themselves to 6-8 episodes. The episodes would be anchored by a defining moment.
- Acculturation & Discovery. Fieldwork in Melanesia & Novel solution to hepatitis B virus infants and development of chronic carrier state
- Defining moment: PhD and post-doc at Stanford & tenure track professorship
- A front seat at the Bow & Arrow Rebellion; and country’s independence
- Defining moment: Leaving on C-130 trans
- Return to California—Stanford, finding husband, getting NIAID grant
- Defining moment: Resigning from U Illinois professorship for marriage
- Branding decisions for Shell gas station and People Magazine, move into biotech company with novel AIDS treatment
- Defining moment: Leaving Genelabs (biotech), adoption of son
- Entry into pharma. Keeping a potential billion-dollar drug alive, acquisition by Roche and developing research management tools for company
- Defining moment: Move to Basel
- Adventures in the Executive Suite (Basel, Stem Cells, Separations/Diagnostic)
- Defining moment: Move back to California – become consultant & entrepreneur
- Moving new therapies forward (dementia, optogenetics, Type I diabetes (gene therapy)
- Defining moment: Death of my mother
- New frontiers. An apartment in Spain, writing, consulting, son’s wedding
- Defining moment: Mud, Microbes & Medicine publication
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
My dream audiobook narrator would be Jodie Foster who has played characters similar to me and who is an Academy Award winning actress.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational writers?
The writers I would put on my Mount Publishmore would be: Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs & Steel, The Third Chimpanzee, Collapse), Thor Heyerdahl (Kon Tiki), Michael Crichton (Andromeda Strain, and Dick Francis (Proof, Whiphand).
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I am a big reader and collector of non-fiction books about Melanesia, medicine, and infectious disease, as well as books by authors of fact-based fictional works including Michael Crichton, Kathy Reichs, and Dick Francis.
Who would you most want to read your book?
The late Paul Farmer because he would empathize what it is like doing research in a primitive non-Western world. Siddhartha Mukherjee because he would appreciate the interplay of infectious disease, culture, medicine, globalization, and the human aspects of scientific progress.
Have you ever mentored another writer with their writing?
My writing mentorship has been limited and in professional/corporate contexts. I strive to ensure that documents are clear and concise.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
The assumptions include: writing takes no time at all, you’ve always wanted to write; you have writing rhythm; there is a plan for your book; and you write either fiction or non-fiction. In my case, each book took at least a decade from start to publication.
My first book was a medical thriller, The Goldilocks Genome, and my second book is a Mud, Microbes & Medicine – How a Curious Anthropologist Got to the Boardroom. If I have something I want to communicate, I focus on the best way to impact my desired reader.
What is your favorite website that you use to promote your writing?
What kind of feedback have you received from those featured in your book?
The feedback has been that my portrayal is accurate, honest, and authentic.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
I have made public appearances at local bookstores and alumni associations (Penn & Stanford), writers’ conferences, and anthropology departments.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
First—is the book published by a reputable publisher; second—does it impact on people’s lives. For example Goldilocks Drugs & Genes—One Person’s 10-Step Guide to Personalized Medicine, a free download on my website is a how to” guide to interpret ones 23andMe or Ancestry genetic data to determine where on the Goldilocks spectrum they and their prescription medicines are (i.e. “too little”, “too much,” or “just right.”).
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