Rob Swanda has always had a passion for science and for communicating. When a pandemic struck, he had an opportunity to combine the two.
In December 2020, just as long-awaited vaccines against Covid were being rolled out, Rob’s family asked him how mRNA vaccines worked. As a scientist whose PhD research included mRNA translation, he was well placed to answer their questions. But rather than taking phone calls or answering texts, he decided to try something new.
‘My family began asking about the new mRNA vaccines they were seeing on the news, and instead of giving a long verbal explanation, I made them a short video,’ he told Vaccines Today. ‘They understood it immediately. My mom asked to share it with friends, and I figured I’d post it on my tiny social media accounts as well.’
Rob went to bed with about 400 followers on his social media channels – and woke to thousands of notifications. ‘It was surreal, a viral virus spreading around the world, and suddenly I had a viral video spreading alongside it.’
The video clocked up more than 30 million views. He began to get requests for more videos explaining vaccines, immunology and, soon, other aspects of medical science. ‘My goal when I made my first video was to educate four family members, not millions,’ he recalled.
However, those pandemic-era videos catapulted him into the limelight and connected him with a huge audience. Today, he continues to share videos online, aiming to address questions people have about science.
We asked Rob to reflect on how he helped science go viral, and where the future of health communication is headed.
Vaccines Today: Tell us about your scientific background — and how that eventually led you into medical science communication.
Dr Rob Swanda: I’m a proud product of upstate New York, where I completed all my education. I earned my undergraduate degree at Syracuse University, drawn to the molecular details of biology, chemistry, and nutrition. That curiosity carried me straight into a PhD at Cornell University, where I focused on biochemistry and molecular physiology. My dissertation work explored mRNA translation, amino acid regulation, and mitochondrial function.
But even during my PhD, I gravitated toward communication. I signed myself up for seminars, workshops, and competitions like the Three Minute Thesis because I loved the challenge of taking something complex and making it click for someone else, while simultaneously getting research feedback from faculty and other grad students.
How did this lead you to create videos for social media?
When the pandemic hit and those in-person conversations disappeared, I found myself missing that exchange. But in early Dec 2020 my family began asking about the new mRNA vaccines they were seeing on the news, and instead of giving a long verbal explanation, I made them a short video. They understood it immediately.
My mom asked to share it with friends, and I figured I’d post it on my tiny social media accounts as well. I went to bed with about 400 followers across platforms and woke up to a Twitter app that kept crashing from the notifications! It was surreal, a viral virus spreading around the world, and suddenly I had a viral video spreading alongside it. That moment launched my science communication journey.
How do you choose what topics to talk about in your videos?
In the beginning, the topics were driven entirely by the questions people were asking during the pandemic. There was so much confusion and uncertainty, and I tried to break things down into small, digestible explanations that helped people understand what was happening. Today, about three-quarters of my ideas still come directly from viewers who request topics or share something they’re curious about. The rest come from new studies, drug approvals, or interesting findings I stumble across in the literature.
One of my favorite recent examples was a study showing an association between receiving the shingles vaccine and a reduced risk of dementia. I read it and immediately thought, “People are going to love learning about this,” and they did. I try to choose topics that are timely, relevant, and genuinely fascinating. The kinds of things that make people say, “I never knew that!”
What platforms did you use when you started — and where did you go from there?
I started on Twitter and Instagram, posting short videos on both platforms. On Instagram, I hosted weekly live sessions with three physicians where we answered COVID-19 and mRNA-related questions. They brought the clinical expertise, and I translated the science into something people could understand. One viewer once called me an “analogy alchemist,” which might be the closest thing I’ll ever have to a superhero name.
After about a year, I stepped back from Instagram because I wanted at least one platform reserved for my personal life of friends, travel, and plenty of photos of my cat, Cycloheximide. Twitter (now X) became my main home for science content, and from there I quickly expanded to YouTube and eventually TikTok last year as my audience grew and the demand for accessible science education increased.
How did the pandemic shape your work?
The pandemic was both a catalyst and a crash course in real-time science communication. On the positive side, it brought an enormous audience of people who genuinely wanted to understand the science behind vaccines, immunity, and public health decisions. It pushed me to refine my communication style with shorter, clearer, more visual, and more empathetic videos because people were scared and overwhelmed, and clarity mattered more than ever. It also opened doors I never expected, from media interviews to speaking at scientific conferences and collaborating with global health organizations.
At the same time, it came with challenges. Increased visibility meant increased scrutiny, and navigating misinformation, negativity, and the emotional weight of the pandemic required resilience. But overall, the experience reinforced something important: people want to understand science, and when you meet them where they are, they lean in.
Which vaccine-related videos have proven most popular?
My original mRNA COVID-19 explainer will probably always be the standout as it passed 30 million views across platforms before I stopped counting a few years ago. Beyond that, vaccine videos tied to outbreaks or policy changes tend to gain a lot of traction, including those on measles, polio (both oral and injectable), and mpox.
On YouTube, my evergreen mini-lessons on pneumococcal vaccines, Tdap/DTaP, and hepatitis B consistently attract viewers. They’re structured almost like short episodes of How It’s Made, walking people through the manufacturing process, immune response, and dosing schedule in under two minutes. I think people appreciate having a clear, visual explanation that demystifies how vaccines work.
You’ve been using TikTok this year — how has that gone?
I never pictured myself as a TikTok creator, mostly because I wasn’t sure I could survive another platform stealing an hour of my life through scrolling. But last year I started cross-posting some of my older videos just to test the waters, and they took off. TikTok has become the platform where I see the most patient engagement, as people share personal stories, ask thoughtful questions, and suggest future topics.
It’s still a smaller community for me compared to other platforms, but it has grown to over 16k followers in a year, and it’s one of the most interactive and encouraging spaces I’ve been part of. It has reminded me that people of all ages and backgrounds are eager to learn when the information feels accessible and human.
Where do you see the future of online medical communication?
It must be personal, visual, and community-driven. People don’t just want information; they want someone they trust to walk them through it in a way that feels human and relatable. I believe that short-form science education will continue to dominate for lay audiences, but with higher production quality and more collaboration between clinicians, scientists, and creators. At the same time, misinformation spreads faster than ever, so real-time myth-busting and rapid response communication will become increasingly important.
I also think patient-driven content, where people ask questions, share experiences, and shape what gets explained next will certainly guide the direction of science communication more than traditional top-down messaging. Ultimately, the future belongs to communicators who can blend accuracy with empathy and creativity, meeting people where they are while keeping the science solid.
What advice would you give to scientists and health professionals who want to reach a large online audience?
Start small and stay consistent. Your first video may not go viral, but your fiftieth might, and the only way to get there is to keep showing up. My goal when I made my first video was to educate four family members, not millions. That’s how I still tackle new videos, with the goal of educating the individual who requested the topic, and others may benefit in the process. The use of analogies, visuals, and everyday language also go a long way in helping people connect with the science. Let your audience guide you because their questions are the best roadmap you’ll ever have.
Also, be transparent about uncertainty because people trust you more when you acknowledge what we don’t know yet. And protect your energy, because the internet can be both wonderful and overwhelming. At the end of the day, you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be helpful. If your goal is to genuinely educate and empower people, the right audience will find you.