New York, NY—Nate Link, M.D. just received the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in the Political category for his ground-breaking and controversial book, The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America's Leaders. Chief Medical Officer at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, Dr. Link has picked up three awards, in just over a month, for a book that cleverly transposes medical problem-solving techniques into the messy world of politics. Other awards include the Literary Titan Gold Medal Award and a Gold Medal Reader Views Award in the Societal Issues category.
For the past 35 years The National Association of Book Entrepreneurs, which gives out the Pinnacle Awards, has honored some of the finest books published. They believe "books should be recognized for the Pinnacle Awards based on book content, quality, writing style, presentation and cover design."
The fact that Dr. Link's book has won in different categories should come as no surprise. His lessons emanate from the compelling stories of Bellevue, America's oldest hospital, and span the worlds of medicine, science, humanity, and politics. Together, these lessons exemplify the "Just Culture" of the health care universe and provide practical advice for leaders of any organization, large or small. Just as Medicine is an art and a science, effective leadership requires an array of attributes that call upon the mind and the heart to address matters of truth and conscience. Dr. Link's stories exemplify and define these attributes for those who aspire to leadership and for those who select leaders to run their organizations.
Nowhere is this more relevant than in the corridors of power of the largest and most influential organization of the modern world—our federal government. And no one has a greater need to understand the qualities of effective leadership than our elected officials and those who select them, the American voters.
"Standards of leadership in our political world are sadly deficient," says Dr. Link. "As health care institutions have learned about efficiency from automobile manufacturers, about safety from the airline industry, and about customer service from the hotel trade, we are ready to pay it forward, by sharing important lessons in leadership to those who govern our nation."
Dr. Link uses engaging narratives of patient care and leadership challenges at Bellevue to underline what good leadership should look like. These lessons address topics such as atonement, forgiveness, trust, compassion, systematic approaches to problem solving, and evidence-based decision-making—all qualities that are essential in a good leader and that are sorely lacking in America's recent administration. Most tellingly, he examines recent Presidents' leadership qualities before asking a powerful, provocative question: who would you rather have as your doctor, Trump or Obama?
Dr. Link is on a mission to bring evidence and politics together. He examines real political issues such as climate change, tax policy, campaign financing, gerrymandering, abortion, and gun control through a lens of evidence as he urges the American people to examine their responsibility in electing humble leaders who are willing to admit to and learn from their mistakes.
The Ailing Nation Book Trailer
Evidence Based Medicine Video by Dr. Nate Link
"The author has cleverly likened the state of America to that of a terminally ill cancer patient. If only the people in power could embrace, and go forward with Dr. Link's suggestions, this country would be in remission and on the way to recovery." —Susan Keefe, Midwest Book Review
"At once captivating and provocative, Dr Link's presentation is a pleasure to read as well as a standard for close inspection of our political system and our country in general. There is a cure for our ailing nation–read and discover!" —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 50 Hall of Fame Reviewer
"The Ailing Nation is a fascinating, immersive read that sheds light on the sickness that has taken hold of America. It offers hope in the midst of great fear, distrust, and disillusionment. Highly recommended."—Rachel Song, Editor and Writer
The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America's Leaders, ISBN 978-1977224989 (e-book) $6.99, (paperback) $18.95, Outskirts Press, 292 pages, Available at Amazon.
About Nate Link, MD: Dr. Nate Link is the Chief Medical Officer at Bellevue Hospital, America's oldest public hospital, in New York City, standing at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. He has practiced at Bellevue for 37 years since arriving as an intern at the onset of the AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Link graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 1983, completed his residency training in internal medicine at New York University/Bellevue Hospital in 1986, and has continued as practitioner, teacher, and physician leader at Bellevue ever since. In 1989, Dr. Link earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree in Health Policy and Management at Columbia University School of Public Health while working full time as an NYU faculty member in the Bellevue Primary Care Clinic.
In 2001, Dr. Link was named Chief of the Bellevue Medicine Service, a position that he held until 2012, at which time he was appointed Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Bellevue Hospital. During his tenure as CMO, Dr. Link has helped lead the hospital through the harrowing Hurricane Sandy evacuation in 2012, the successful care of New York City's only Ebola patient in 2014, and the COVID-19 surge in the Spring of 2020.
Dr. Link is the author of The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America's Leaders. For more information on Dr. Link, visit his website snickersnack.com.
Media Contact: For a review copy of The Ailing Nation: Lessons from the Bedside for America's Leaders or to arrange an interview with Nate Link, MD, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist