The Hudson Library & Historical Society will host a live, virtual streaming event with gastroenterologist Dr. Shilpa Ravella, who will discuss her new book, A Silent Fire on Thursday, October 13, at 7 p.m.

A Silent Fire investigates inflammation – the hidden force at the heart of modern disease – and how we can prevent, treat, or even reverse it. As explained by Ravella, inflammation is the body’s ancestral response to some of its biggest threats: injury and foreign microbes. However, as humans have evolved, the threats we face have evolved too. New science has revealed inflammation hiding under the surface of everything from heart disease and cancer to autoimmune conditions. Using captivating case studies, Ravella debunks common misconceptions regarding anti-inflammatory lifestyles and explores inflammation’s emerging role as a common root of modern disease.

Dr. Ravella is a gastroenterologist, specializing in nutrition, and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Her writing has been published in the Atlantic, New York Magazine, Slate, and USA Today and she has been featured as an expert in Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and on Good Morning America. She earned her B.S. in biology from MIT and M.D. from the University of Pittsburg.