Dr. Brilliant

“Renowned Bay Area epidemiologist predicts prolonged pandemic, ”the headline in the SF Chronicle read. Disturbing of course, but concerns about variants, and the lack of a cohesive global vaccination effort are obviously valid. As cases fall in the Bay Area, it seems only fair to temper the optimism with some caution. But something seemed odd.

The first thing I noticed was his name.

It will take years, not months, to gain the upper hand in the coronavirus pandemic — and it will require thinking well beyond our borders, says Dr. Larry Brilliant.

Ha, good name for a doc. Oh and he co-founded the Seva Foundation in Berkeley. Hmm, some sort of Indian connection. And then upon further scrolling, this:

Larry Brilliant co-founder (left) and Wavy Gravy of the SEVA Foundation celebrate 25 years. Photo by Frederic Larson.

A picture with Wavy Gravy seemed like an odd choice for such a somber article. But even more oddly, why did that name ring a bell?

The article goes on to talk about Dr. Brilliant’s work for a bit. Epidemiology, public health policy, MERS, SARS etc. etc. Variants from the UK, Brazil, South Africa etc. etc. And then just casually:

Brilliant, a longtime Grateful Dead doctor, laments that half the country still believes…

Ok hold on, several thoughts:

• First, what is a “Grateful Dead doctor”?

• Did bands normally have doctors?

• Was he the doctor for the Grateful Dead?

• If so, was he involved with administering the drugs, or helping recover from them?

• You say “longtime” doctor, implying he still is. But Jerry Garcia died 25 years ago, and the Grateful Dead is - well - dead. (Although TBH, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are several folks around here who believe Jerry is still with us).

• Or maybe he is just Bob Weir’s doctor now (they do both live in Marin).

• But perhaps most importantly, why did the writer just casually throw that in? Does he think of it as a credential? “Director of the CDC… longtime Grateful Dead doctor…”

At least now the Wavy Gravy connection made sense. And by now it came as no surprise that Dr. Larry is married to a woman with an Indian name - Girija Brilliant, or that they took the second dose of the vaccine together on Valentine’s Day.

I don’t even remember what he was saying about the virus. Brilliant.