Leah Elson is an academically-published clinical development scientist, public science communicator, and non-fiction author. Her research career in human medicine has included the fields of orthopedics, oncology, and neuroscience.

Harvard University (2013): Post-Baccalaureate Degree in Pre-Medical Sciences

The Johns Hopkins University (2017): Master of Science in Biotechnology

Keck School of Medicine - University of Southern California (2022): Master of Public Health in Global Health and Epidemiology

Leah is pursing a doctoral degree in neuroimmunology. Her dissertation investigates lipopolysaccharide-induced nerve dysfunction in terrestrial patients and astronauts.

Leah’s academic publications are resultant of her research efforts in orthopedics, novel technology, oncology, and neuroscience.

She has 87 peer-reviewed publications, including manuscripts, book chapters, and supplements. The combination of her collaborative work has garnered over 1,600 indexed citations, from around the world.

The full list of her academic publications can be found here:

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1) There Are (No) Stupid Questions… In Science (available now, everywhere books are sold — hardcover, e-book, audiobook formats), is a scientist’s compendium of delightfully bizarre, oftentimes gross, and occasionally poignant answers to the curious scientific questions of adults. The book was born from Leah Elson’s web series, “60 Seconds of Science”, which was the result of a massive, unmet need to address the unanswered scientific questions of the general public. The popular web series – which married Leah’s extensive medical research expertise with a staccato, tongue-in-cheek delivery – garnered approximately one-million combined views and a cult following.

There Are (No) Stupid Questions… In Science is meant to bridge disparities in scientific understanding by answering all questions, from any field. However, it also offers a fundamentally different take on science communication – the content not being a lecture from the author-expert, but being completely driven by the most important party: the readers. Therefore, the book offers easy-to-understand, and delightfully cheeky explanations for 103 of the internet’s most burning scientific quandaries, submitted by humans from all over the world! These questions cover topics in biology, chemistry, physics, human physiology, and space.

2) Dear Consumer… (2023, On submission)

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1) What was your motivation for writing There Are (No) Stupid Questions… in Science? I had been a science communicator for several years and had experienced a fair amount of success. I was posting quick, staccato videos on social media wherein I would explain scientific principles, as asked by my own audience — anything from collapsed eyeballs, to the mechanism of dreaming, to various rare medical disorders, to space. I came to learn that some of the simplest questions usually evoked the most elegant responses. One morning, as I was driving to the oncologic research department where I was employed, I was thinking about how awesome it would be to read a comprehensive science book with a quick and punchy delivery. I thought, “Man, someone should write that book…”, followed shortly by, “I should write that book!” And so it began…

2) There Are (No) Stupid Questions… in Science covers biology, chemistry, physics, space, and human physiology — that seems unusual for a medical researcher! I’d absolutely say that it’s unusual! As our understanding of the physical world has expanded, it has allowed for innumerable sub-focuses of study — which is fantastic because we now have experts in the nittiest of gritty. For instance, these days you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who simply studies “neuroscience”. Instead, you find thought leaders in neuroscience, who study the DNA modulation associated with the immediate healing phase of lower-extremity gunshot wounds which implicate motor nerves. Granular detail-type science. While I continue to carve out my own professional niche, I have maintained a personal love of the sciences at-large. So, while I’m exploring the publications to bolster my position as an expert in my professional field, I’m also reading about the newest organisms discovered in the Mariana Trench, or the current updates on what the Perseverance rover is doing. I love it all, so I write about it all.

3) So you also illustrated There Are (No) Stupid Questions… in Science — a book for adults — in crayon? I did! What you will notice about the questions asked in the book is that they’re wonderfully childlike (as the best scientific questions typically are — in fact, some of the simplest questions have yielded the most influential human discoveries!). I thought that illustrating a book for adults, in crayon, paid homage to this childlike awe for the sciences.

4) So, do you have an illustrating background? Absolutely not! And I’d argue that the most challenging part of this book was the illustrating! But, the images are less technical, and more gratifyingly bizarre. Which I credit to reading Shel Silverstein in my youth, and being a fan of Ralph Steadman as an adult.

5) You’ve been a science communicator for several years, any victory laps from your experience? The videos I’ve released have garnered a surprising amount of attention, which I could have never anticipated. As a result of these videos, I was approached by a production company to be a part of an A&E series about mysterious human ailments — the project was ultimately taken in a different direction, but I was cast as one of the experts (for a brief period of time, any way). Also from the videos, I was scouted by casting producers for the NBC Titan Games (not an intuitive choice, it seems, but I do powerlift). Out of thousands of potential athletes, they selected myself (and 14 other women) to compete at the pre-production combine. It was an absolute blast, and while I didn’t make it to the show, I’m still friends with the athletes. Those were both exciting opportunities. But, I still find that the most enthralling part of what I do is the feedback from the audience. Most of my viewers have no background in science, and I often receive amazing messages about how they now actively seek out scientific news stories, or how they show my videos to their kids — it humbles me. And it’s exactly why I started doing it — to reach people and inspire them.

6) Why does public science literacy matter? It matters for so many reasons: having a deeper understanding of oneself — biochemically, evolutionarily, physiologically, and otherwise — helps us understand how interconnected we are to the world around us and how important our role is in the protection of the planet. Additionally, I think it also helps us to realize how similar we are to each other, and how much we need each other for species survival — I like to think that science is, in that context, the Great Equalizer. Science illiteracy is dangerous — it can breed fear, gross misunderstanding, contributes to poor health and chronic disease, and stymies our potential to answer the Big Questions of existence.

7) Why do you think There Are (No) Stupid Questions… in Science has the potential to be impactful? Science communication like this is integral to bridging the distrust in science that has developed among the public. As scientists, it is our responsibility to help foster open dialogue regarding things that many people may not readily understand. That lack of understanding is, I think, the root of unease. There Are (No) Stupid Questions… in Science is meant to help the public rediscover their wonder in the world. I didn’t want to write a 300-page book of pontification — I wanted to write a book, human-to-human, about how fascinating and disgusting and weird and beautiful science is. I am pleased to say that I did just that.