Despite recent outbreaks and warnings of a future global pandemic, the world seemed largely unprepared when COVID-19 quickly spread from China to Europe to the United States and beyond. In the US the response was slow and heavily politicized. What went wrong and what can be done to ensure the country is prepared for the next pandemic? Carefully selected viewpoints from experts in the field explore the virus and how it spread; the scientific community's scramble to understand, treat, and vaccinate; and how science and politics can work together in the future.