(Posted February 13, 2012)

Sonia Shah, author of "The Fever: How Malaria has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years."
Sonia Shah, author of "The Fever: How Malaria has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years."

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Investigative journalist Sonia Shah, author of "The Fever: How Malaria has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years," will speak at Juniata College on her work as a medical and human rights reporter at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science.

The lecture is free and open to the public. This Distinguished Speaker Series event is sponsored by the Calvert Ellis Memorial Lectureship.

Shah is currently touring college campuses to promote her book, which investigates why malaria persists as a disease despite the fact that scientific knowledge exists to prevent it.

The longtime journalist has served as a Writing Fellow for The Nation Institute and the Puffin Foundation. She also has published freelance articles to such publications as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs and Scientific American.

Shah's previous books include "The Body Hunters: Testing New Drugs on the World's Poorest Patients," (2006) which details how some pharmaceutical companies perform drug trials outside the United States to sidestep regulations, and "Crude: The Story of Oil," (2004) which outlines how oil permeates our lives through consumption and products. She also wrote "Dragon Ladies: Asian-American Feminists Breathe Fire," (1997) an anthology of writing by Asian-American Women.

"'The Fever' is a mine of information, drawing on diverse accounts from medical experts and field workers. This is an important book on the historical lessons we must not forget and the mistakes we are still making today in the battle against what remains a formidable killer."

New Scientist magazine

Critics from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Time magazine universally praised her newest book. A writer from New Scientist magazine wrote, "'The Fever' is a mine of information, drawing on diverse accounts from medical experts and field workers. This is an important book on the historical lessons we must not forget and the mistakes we are still making today in the battle against what remains a formidable killer."

Shah started her career in journalism after earning a bachelor's degree in journalism, philosophy and neuroscience from Oberlin College.

Shah remains active in non-scientific circles as well, maintaining a sideline in book and film reviewing. Recently, she reviewed the Steven Soderbergh film "Contagion" and the British film "Never Let Me Go" for the British medical journal "The Lancet."

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.