Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD

Science can never “disprove everything,” because you can create an infinite list of possible questions.

To show what an unreasonable standard this is, let’s dig into the question that everybody’s been ignoring and hasn’t been studied adequately — DO DOGS CAUSE AUTISM???

Do dogs cause autism? On Wednesday RFK Jr.’s CDC updated their website to claim that “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not definitively ruled out the possibility. On the su...

Do dogs cause autism? The anatomy of a scientific rumor that is designed to never die 👇🏽👇🏽

www.youcanknowthings.com/do-dogs-caus...

SGEM Xtra: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution…Training Health Communicators Podcast Episode · The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine · 2025-11-08 · 32m

@dennisrenmd.bsky.social

Excellent SGEM Xtra on science communication with @kmpanthagani.bsky.social

I really enjoyed the last 7min that touched on the use of the term “anti-vax”.

podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...
@casinoshiftmd.bsky.social @kaymd.bsky.social

#MemeMonday for #SGEMPeds Xtra with @kmpanthagani.bsky.social on Health Communication. @thesgem.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social @kkjetelina.bsky.social @nejm.org @yalesph.bsky.social thesgem.com/2025/11/sgem... #FOAMed #SciComm #MedSky #PedSky

On the latest #SGEMPeds Xtra, we chat with Dr. @kmpanthagani.bsky.social about how health communication strategies and approaches must evolve in today's world.
@yalesph.bsky.social @kkjetelina.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social @thesgem.bsky.social @yalesph.bsky.social #FOAMed #SciComm #MedSky

Training Health Communicators - The Need for a New Approach - PubMed Training Health Communicators - The Need for a New Approach

Coming up this week is an #SGEMPeds Xtra. Dr. @kmpanthagani.bsky.social joins us to talk about the evolution of health communication! #FOAMed #SciComm #MedSky @nejm.org @yalesph.bsky.social @kkjetelina.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social @thesgem.bsky.social

LIVE SOON: Hot takes and cold fronts: public health and weather comms in the new era Starting Oct 30 at 1:00 PM EDT

Also! Join @mattlanza.bsky.social and
@kmpanthagani.bsky.social for a Substack live at 1P ET/12P CT today to discuss science communication, weather, climate, health, and probably a little Melissa as well.

open.substack.com/live-stream/...

LIVE SOON: Hot takes and cold fronts: public health and weather comms in the new era Starting Oct 30 at 1:00 PM EDT

Click here to join: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Join @mattlanza.bsky.social and I today at 1 pm ET on substack live!

“Communications training in medical school & graduate school is largely absent, & what is there emphasizes fancy graphs, citations, & a professional, emotionally detached presentation style. If you ask a scientist to create an Instagram post, they’ll often create a tiny PowerPoint slide.”🧪🛟

great post on this public health communication paradigm shift. h/t @jennanewman.bsky.social

Inspired by the work of @noupside.bsky.social and Rachel Kleinfeld, Kristen has a great piece here on modern scicomm and new media and how institutions should adapt. Relatedly, Kristen and I will be chatting about a lot of this on a Substack live Thursday at 1P ET/12P CT. Hope you will tune in.

Health institutions need to empower online creators, or risk getting left behind It’s rare that an article has me nodding so much my neck hurts—but this one did. If you care about getting accurate health information to the public, I highly recommend you read it too. Titled ‘For E...

Just wrote a post inspired by one of the best articles I’ve read in a long time — it put into words a shift I’ve been seeing in how people decide what’s “trustworthy” and explains why experts and institutions are set up to fail in the new media environment (if we don’t adapt).

shorturl.at/TbyNF

Health institutions need to empower online creators, or risk getting left behind A quick breakdown of the best article I've read all year

Old dogs, New tricks?

Communicating in the new media environment feels kind of overwhelming for this Elder Millennial academic. But better to face how times have changed

@kmpanthagani.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/youcankn...

The push to change the hepatitis B vaccine to start at age 4 makes zero sense.

Is it time for us—scientists, PhDs, PostDocs, and others—to be more welcoming?
Great post by @kmpanthagani.bsky.social on the impact of the word “misinformation.” I believe we should go further: listen, be welcoming, and engage in dialogue. It takes time, but in my view, it’s the only viable option.

It does! Described them here:

Listen to Kristen.

Half kidding as I am overwhelmed as it is 😭😂

SHOULD WE START A PODCAST

Why I stopped using the word 'misinformation' The word ‘misinformation’ entered my regular vocabulary around the time it did for much of the country — March 2020. Discovering my newfound love for explaining science and addressing COVID rumors onl...

I stopped using the word ‘misinformation.’

To many it feels like a slap in the face and immediately sows distrust — not a great way to start a conversation or reach people outside the academic bubble.

www.youcanknowthings.com/why-i-stoppe...

Dogs should come to all classes!!

Such good buddies 🐶

Absolutely!

Then he really is a mix between them! Lincoln (top) is a shih tzu-poodle and Franklin (bottom) is a yorkie-maltese

Your puppy looks like a perfect mix between my two puppies!

YouTube video by You Can Know Things What is p-hacking and why it matters

Put it on YouTube for easier sharing: youtube.com/shorts/6kzE6...

A short explanation of p-hacking and why it absolutely makes sense to ask HHS to release the study methods of their autism report in advance.

Is science inherently political? It depends on which "science" we're even talking about Should science stay out of politics—or is science inherently political? When is advocacy appropriate for scientists, and is it even possible to ...

This, from @kmpanthagani.bsky.social is such an important, challenging read. Kristen always writes really thoughtful things about science communication.

www.youcanknowthings.com/is-science-i...

Want to see the impact of #NIH, #NSF and #EPA grant cuts in your community? Check out @noamross.net, @scott-delaney.bsky.social and colleagues' project here. Tell your friends and neighbors about what is happening. grant-witness.us