Dr. Jennifer Caudle

You have probably seen Dr. Jennifer Caudle in television or come across her articles on major media outlets. A health expert who has become a popular on-air presence, Dr. Caudle didn’t always know that she wanted to become a doctor or that she wanted to be in the media.
As a serious young student, Jennifer was devoted to playing cello and also had a strong interest in science. When she was accepted to music conservatory and to Princeton University, she chose to go to Princeton and to study both music and science. During college, she decided to become a doctor, and after finishing all of her undergraduate pre-med requirements, she took some time off after college, in large part to seek funding for medical school. She won scholarships through the Miss America organization as Miss Iowa 1999 and competed in the 1999 Miss America Pageant.  She reflects on her year of competing and traveling in the pageant world, explaining that she developed speaking skills and media experience through her appearances as Miss Iowa.

Shortly afterwards, Jennifer returned to her plan to become a physician, took her MCAT, applied to medical school and went to UMDMJ School of Osteopathic Medicine with the idea that she might become a dermatologist. She loved all of her rotations and really enjoyed becoming a part of patient’s lives, ultimately deciding that family medicine would be the right specialty for her. During her last years of medical school, a senior student mentioned a medical broadcasting elective. Intrigued by the idea, Jennifer called the television station to arrange for an elective. During that rotation, she realized that there was such an important need for medical communication. Later, during family medicine residency, she did a month long internship at ABC news, with the support and encouragement of her faculty.
Now, Dr. Caudle has taken her media experience to another level. With regular appearances on CNN/ HLN, Fox News, The Dr. Oz Show and others, she also has been featured on radio shows, writes for The Daily Beast, Huff Post and CNN, among others. In fact, she had just finished taping a segment at Time Warner Center when we spoke for this interview. She is an Assistant Professor in the department of Family Medicine at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine where she is the clerkship director for the 3rd year Family Medicine clerkship, she teaches residents and she sees patients. In addition, she frequently travels for her media appearances.

Dr. Caudle has some very down to earth advice for those aspiring to work in media. She says that she looked for people who were doing what she wanted to do and learned their path by watching them, even contacting them for advice and mentorship if they were reachable. She says that she has had many mentors- some who were not directly doing media work, but who gave her good advice and encouragement her along her path.  She also suggests to look for opportunities in media and to consider healthcare communications fellowships, which are emerging through non-profit organizations and universities. Dr. Caudle shares more details about her journey here in this video.

Dr Caudel's website is www.drjencaudle.com
Follow or contact Dr. Caudle on twitter at @DrJenCaudle, or on Instagram drjencaudle or follow on her Facebook page