Tista Ghosh

About Tista Ghosh

Dr. Ghosh is a physician, epidemiologist and award-winning health journalist.  She has served as the Chief Medical Officer of the state of Colorado, an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, and an appointee to the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force. During the height of the pandemic, she advised multiple Fortune 500 companies on keeping their workers safe. As a health journalist, her writing has been featured in outlets like Fast Company, Business Insider, Inc., the HuffPost, and KevinMD. She has also appeared as a guest expert on various media platforms, including the Today Show, CNN, the NY Times, Forbes, NPR, USAToday, Healthline, and MarketWatch. In 2021, she was honored with a media excellence award for written health journalism by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Her latest book, Before the Next Crisis (Columbia University Press), captures powerful firsthand stories from everyday Americans navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.  From construction workers to police officers to pastors, these narratives lay bare the communication gaps and misunderstandings that shaped the pandemic.   After witnessing the toll of widespread confusion and misinformation through these interviews, Dr. Ghosh was inspired to found the Institute for Personal & Public Health Literacy (IPPHL), dedicated to translating health science into clear, trustworthy guidance.

Her debut novel also advances her mission to make complex health science relatable and accessible— only this time through fiction. Awakening Kali explores the devastating effects of mental illness through the inner world of a woman convinced she is cursed by a goddess.