Joseph Osmundson

In May—when many in the U.S. were still asking, “What’s monkeypox?”—Joseph Osmundson offered a warning. The molecular biologist co-authored an op-ed predicting that the U.S. wasn’t prepared to contain the virus—and indeed, diagnoses soon swelled. Since then, the author of the essay collection Virology has been instrumental in guiding New York City’s vaccine distribution, helping implement a program that brings shots to places where people meet for sex and pushing for more inclusive eligibility criteria.

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.