About

Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist and science communicator. She ventured into the world of science communication as a senior PhD student in March 2020, just as the pandemic was hitting the US in full force. Watching family and friends struggle to make sense of the quickly changing landscape of the pandemic, she started sharing simple explanations and data visualizations on Facebook answering common pandemic questions. The response to these posts was overwhelming and revealed a major need for easy-to-understand science explanations that can be shared easily on social media. Aiming to address this need, she founded You Can Know Things to help explain the science of the pandemic in a way everybody can understand, with an emphasis on addressing confusing pandemic topics and rumors. Her work has reached millions around the world and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Vox, PolitiFact, LA Times, FactCheck.org, and many more. Dr. Panthagani graduated from the Medical Scientist Training (MD/PhD) Program at Baylor College of Medicine in 2021, receiving a PhD in Genetics and Genomics in 2020 for her thesis work studying the human microbiome and the health impacts of Hurricane Harvey. She is currently a resident physician and Yale Emergency Scholar at Yale New Haven Hospital, completing a combined Emergency Medicine residency and research fellowship.

You can reach Dr. Panthagani at kristen@youcanknowthings.com or send her a message on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

The author(s) of this blog are responsible for the blog content; statements on this website do not necessarily reflect the official views of the authors’ employers or affiliated institutions. This blog is not intended to provide medical advice; please consult with your physician if you have questions about medical treatments or health concerns.