About Me

Dr. Elisabeth Adkins Marnik is a mom of two, a wife, reader, hiker and avid runner. She is also a science communicator and immunologist working at the intersection of public trust, science, and public health. She earned her PhD in genetics and immunology from Tufts University.

Raised in a family that distrusted science and vaccines, Liz brings a personal understanding of hesitancy to her science communication work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched Science Whiz Liz to help the public navigate emerging health information, combining lived experience with scientific expertise. Liz now leads national efforts to translate evidence into clear, responsible, and empathetic public communication.

She is an inaugural member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Building Trust in Health Science Through Community Partnership and Lived Experience and was named to Mainebiz’s 2025 40 Under 40 for her leadership in science education and public engagement.

She now serves as the Executive Director of The Evidence Collective.

You can read more about her journey in her New York Times guest essay titled: I Grew Up Unvaccinated. Now I’m an Immunologist.