--- description: Find out why Mikhail Varshavski is on the TIME100 Health 2026 list. title: TIME100 Health: Mikhail Varshavski image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e398859daec818/6998ce621f6709ea49f573ff/T100-Health-2026-Varshavski.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 11, 2026 # Mikhail Varshavski Explaining health data by [Angela Haupt](/author/angela-haupt/) ## Angela Haupt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy of Alejandro Ibarra Dr. Mikhail Varshavski—Dr. Mike to his followers—started posting on social media to provide vetted health information with an easy-to-understand approach. Amid shifting recommendations from U.S. government agencies, “people are more confused than ever and looking for a trustworthy source,” says Varshavski, a family medicine physician with Chatham Family Medicine in Chatham, N.J. “We’ve been very effective in talking even to people who disagree.” He’s gained [more than 14.5 million followers on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/DoctorMike "undefined"), [5.3 million on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/doctor.mike/?hl=en "undefined"), and [2.7 million on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@doctormike?lang=en "undefined"). Last year, his [debate with 20 anti-va](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y90R8BPc8Ag "undefined")ccine activists racked up nearly 1 billion views across platforms. Other notable posts include [an animated explainer on smallpox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTP2o5XVfwk "undefined"), a [confrontation with a doctor promoting controversial brain scans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SHgZ1XPXs "undefined"), and a survey of[ over-ordered medical tests](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEDH%5FvHkgGc&pp=0gcJCU0KAYcqIYzv "undefined"). “To be able to reach people with valuable information in this day and age—responsibly, without attacking anyone, and leading with empathy and transparency—is the biggest badge of honor,” he says. TIME100 Health: Mikhail Varshavski ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362643/mikhail-varshavski/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362643/mikhail-varshavski/"},"headline":"Mikhail Varshavski","datePublished":"2026-02-11T13:01:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T05:18:33.509Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362643/mikhail-varshavski/","keywords":["TIME100 Health 2026","list","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e398859daec818/6998ce621f6709ea49f573ff/T100-Health-2026-Varshavski.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Haupt","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/angela-haupt/"}],"creator":"Angela Haupt","articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e398859daec818/6998ce621f6709ea49f573ff/T100-Health-2026-Varshavski.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time100-health-2026/","name":"TIME100 Health 2026"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362643/mikhail-varshavski/","name":"Mikhail Varshavski"}}]}] ```