Aspen Global Innovators Group will host a conversation with Dr. Raj Panjabi about his new book, SAFER: A Playbook—Turning Fear Into Action and Crisis Into Community, at the Aspen Institute’s Washington, DC, office on Thursday, November 12, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Drawing on his experiences in hospital emergency rooms, communities responding to epidemics, and the White House Situation Room, Dr. Panjabi explores how we can navigate uncertainty, turn fear into action, and strengthen the relationships that help individuals and communities endure moments of crisis.

The conversation will offer timely insights into the role of trust, connection, and collective action in building a safer and more resilient future.

Raj Panjabi, M.D. has spent his life preparing for the crises no one sees coming, because he has lived through them. At nine years old, he arrived in America after fleeing civil war in Liberia, an experience that forged an unshakeable conviction: no one should be left behind when the world falls apart.

Panjabi later served as White House Senior Director and Special Assistant to the President of the United States at the National Security Council, helping lead the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic and create the nation’s playbook for future public health emergencies.

Before joining the National Security Council, he led the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and was founding CEO of Last Mile Health, bringing care to communities beyond the reach of any health system.

Today, Panjabi is Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he helps invent and build companies using artificial intelligence and biotechnology to stop disease before it starts. He is also an associate physician and on faculty at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School.

Forbes has named him one of America’s 250 greatest living immigrants celebrating the American Dream, and he has also been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and one of Fortune’s 50 World’s Greatest Leaders. Panjabi lives with his wife, three children, and a legendary collection of stuffed animals.