Mrigank Shail
Dr. Mrigank Shail is an accomplished medical researcher, writer, and strategic content creator in global public health and strategic communications. He achieved his Medical Doctorate (MD) with Honours from Xavier University School of Medicine and was the salutatorian in his graduating class. After graduation, he finished his neurosurgery overseership and internship with the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies where he performed several neurosurgeries under the guidance of Europe’s top brain and spinal cord surgeons. Dr. Shail possesses extensive expertise across diverse medical domains, including addiction and mental health, strategic health communications, and medical content development.
His professional trajectory changed (from clinical medicine to communications) during the initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak. In January 2020, he started following reports of small cases of the novel coronavirus. He started creating and posting content about the outbreak and keeping people informed on his social media accounts. He later started using WHO press conferences and their public database to create engaging content to keep people briefed about new developments - turning bland and complex scientific material for experts into immersing, short-digestible content for the public. His following grew and experts on social media started re-posting and sharing his content. In April 2020, WHO's Director of Communication reached out to him on Twitter (now X), asked him to provide her Geneva Digital Communication team assistance and ideas, and later offered him a position at HQ.
He is now a full-time Strategic Communications Consultant within the Department of Communications at the World Health Organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. He is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto School of Public Health, contributing to public health education. He is a Knowledge Mobilization Lead for IfP. He is the founder and Communications Director of Health Communication Strategies, a consultancy specializing in digital communications for global health and development. Finally, he will start a new role at the United Nations’ Digital Campaigns Department as a Communications Campaigns Service Consultant.
Dr. Shail's research pursuits revolve around exploring data-driven strategies for crafting impactful social media communication campaigns, cultivating a distinguished online presence as an expert, and disseminating health messages effectively to target audiences. As an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, he guides students in navigating reliable web and social media information, adeptly identifying and countering misinformation and disinformation using contemporary trends and metrics.
Mrigank’s goal is to empower scientists and healthcare professionals to become exceptional communicators in today’s digital age. By equipping them with the skills to create impactful and credible online content, he aims to transform them into trusted sources of information for their communities. Through his teaching, research, and consultancy, he is dedicated to addressing the growing challenge of misinformation on social media platforms. Dr. Shail passionately advocates for data-driven communication strategies and innovative tools that enable science professionals to navigate the digital landscape effectively. His work underscores the critical role of credible voices in fostering public trust and combating the misinformation epidemic that threatens global health.