{"id":17528,"date":"2020-05-08T17:34:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T21:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opsweb.wpengine.com\/?p=17528"},"modified":"2022-05-17T13:30:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T17:30:48","slug":"cnns-anderson-cooper-and-bestselling-author-michael-lewis-celebrate-public-servants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/blog\/cnns-anderson-cooper-and-bestselling-author-michael-lewis-celebrate-public-servants\/","title":{"rendered":"CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper, and bestselling author Michael Lewis, celebrate public servants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Thursday, May 7, the Partnership teamed up with Axios, CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper, and bestselling author Michael Lewis to host a virtual event<\/a> celebrating the 27 finalists for the 2020 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals<\/a>. The \u201cSammies,\u201d considered the Oscars of government service, celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the most effective federal employees and recognize their lifelong dedication to service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the\ncurrent pandemic tells us anything, it\u2019s that government matters,\u201d Cooper said,\nas he praised the doctors and nurses taking care of veterans at VA hospitals;\nthe scientists at NIH, FDA and CDC developing treatments, vaccines and tests to\nstop the spread of the deadly virus; and the Small Business Administration\nemployees who are helping businesses\u2014many of them on the brink of failure due\nto lack of customers\u2014get loans to pay their employees\u2019 salaries and save jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Lewis is the author of \u201cMoneyball,\u201d \u201cThe Big Short\u201d and \u201cThe Blind Side.\u201d His most recent book, \u201cThe Fifth Risk,\u201d describes extraordinary federal employees who are vital to running the country. When Cooper asked why he chose to write about government, Lewis said he found himself moved by the civil servants he met in interviews he did during the transition to the Trump administration. \u201cI needed to know what these people were doing because [it] was very important\u2026They were doing it for a lot less money than they could make in the private sector and [they had a] sense of mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one segment, Mike Allen, co-founder of Axios, interviewed Sammies finalist Dr. Vikram Krishnasamy<\/a>, who established a training program and communications network to help local public health officials deal with the opioid epidemic. \u201cI feel incredibly lucky to be where I am today. My parents immigrated in the 1970s, and my siblings and I knew how lucky we were. It\u2019s why I give back in public service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper interviewed Sammies finalist Dr. Beth Ripley<\/a> about her work using 3D printers to assist VA hospitals with surgeries. \u201cIt turns out that CT scans, MRI scans and the routine imaging we do is a digital blueprint of your anatomy of your body,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can take that digital blueprint and what comes out is a near exact replicate of that patient\u2019s heart. Then we can hand it to the doctor, the veteran and the family, and they come up with a plan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nRipley said the VA is now using 3D printing to make personal protective\nequipment, including face shields and masks, to protect against COVID-19. \u201cWhen\nthe COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we started to see our colleagues in New York or\nEurope that needed things they couldn\u2019t get, we scaled rapidly and put all of\nthe resources and knowledge to turn out a product that helped,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In closing the event, Cooper said, \u201cI hope you know how\ngrateful we are for your service, your sacrifices, particularly at this\ndifficult time in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the 2020 Sammies finalists visit servicetoamericamedals.org\/honorees<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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