Author: Nicole Saphier

Nicole Saphier writes about American health policy from the perspective of a practicing radiologist and medical commentator. Panic Attack examines how political polarization, media coverage, and changing public guidance affected debate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The complete edition title, Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19, states the book's argumentative focus explicitly. Broadside Books published the hardcover in May 2021, with an audiobook edition from Blackstone. Saphier had previously written Make America Healthy Again, which addressed chronic illness, individual behavior, and government policy. In Panic Attack, she considers subjects including school closures, nursing-home decisions, proposed treatments, vaccination, and the difficulty of communicating uncertain evidence during a national emergency. The work is political nonfiction rather than a clinical guide, and its claims belong to the contested public discussion it analyzes. Saphier's authorial role is therefore best understood at the intersection of medicine, broadcasting, and policy commentary.