Dr. Monika Gostic is a multifaceted professional whose career bridges academia, public health, and entrepreneurship. With a strong background in medical sciences and nutrition, she lectures and supervises students at the University of Aberdeen, co-chairs Business Beats Cancer Aberdeen, a board fundraising on behalf of Cancer research UK , sits on the editorial board of a scientific journal, and runs her own nutritional coaching business.
Through her coaching, she offers award-winning programs like 21-day group challenges, tailored nutrition plans, lifestyle medicine advice, and focused “Power Hour” consultations. Her services are designed to be accessible and impactful, helping clients improve their nutrition, mindset, and body in just minutes a day. She has also held leadership roles in powerlifting, a testament to her ability to apply discipline across very different domains.
In our conversation, we uncovered not just the breadth of her commitments but also the depth of her thinking on how education, technology, and public communication intersect. This article, part of the Business Insights Series, takes a narrative look at her perspectives on AI in academia, the pressing importance of scientific literacy, and the dynamics of misinformation in the digital age.
Balancing multiple responsibilities
When asked how she manages so many roles, Monika was clear: “I do them because I like them. And I am managing. So if I am not managing, then I say, no, I can’t, because it’s too much.”
She spoke with the calm confidence of someone who has tested her limits and learned where her energy is best spent. She chooses her commitments based on both their professional value and the satisfaction they bring, making passion and purpose the filters for her decisions.
Her workload is impressive in scale and intellectually layered in substance. Monika’s career stands out because of the way she weaves her diverse roles into a meaningful framework. She manages a dynamic professional ecosystem where knowledge flows in multiple directions, integrating research, teaching, coaching, and policy work into a cohesive and adaptive practice.
The research insights she gathers as a peer reviewer inform how she teaches scientific rigor in the classroom. Her work on the cancer prevention board deepens her understanding of public health strategies, which in turn influences how she coaches clients through nutrition and lifestyle. She creates connections between her roles, allowing ideas and insights to flow naturally from one area of her work to another. That gives her a unique edge.
She spoke about this as a skill developed over time, learning to recognize when a new opportunity aligns with her core interests and when it would simply stretch her too thin. This discipline allows her to maintain high performance across very different arenas, teaching medical sciences, steering public health initiatives, reviewing research as an editor, and mentoring clients in her nutritional coaching business.
Each role, she noted, feeds into the others: her board work sharpens her policy understanding, which she brings into the classroom; her academic research strengthens the credibility of her coaching; her coaching keeps her connected to real-world applications of the science she teaches.
This balance results from clear boundaries, strategic decision-making, and a conscious effort to recognize when an opportunity should be declined. It allows her to move seamlessly from a university lecture hall to a boardroom discussion on cancer prevention, to reviewing a scientific paper, to coaching a nutrition client.
Her career exemplifies the modern interdisciplinary academic, someone who engages across multiple fields and evolves through the interplay of them, continuously expanding their knowledge and adaptability. It’s a model of career design that feels particularly relevant in 2025, when agility, integration, and purpose matter more than rigid job titles.
Shaping future professionals
Marking undergraduate dissertations in medical sciences gives Monika a front-row view of developing talent, and it’s here that she sees the earliest signs of how future professionals will approach their careers. Monika highlighted how students often shine when given the chance to apply their learning beyond the classroom. She noted that those who participate in internships and industry placements regularly produce some of the most insightful and polished dissertations.
“They learned and acted upon my feedback and then improved their writing, improved their dissertation, and basically got top marks as a result of that.”
This shows how students can transform when they engage deeply with constructive criticism and develop the resilience to refine their work until it meets a higher standard.
She explained that these experiences are where theoretical knowledge collides with real-world problem-solving. Students not only gain technical skills but also learn how to collaborate, meet deadlines, and adapt to feedback, abilities that are vital in any professional environment.
Her emphasis on employability and entrepreneurship in education is deliberate: she wants graduates who can step into their chosen fields and contribute immediately, whether that’s in research, industry, or public health. This includes building the confidence to communicate complex science effectively to different audiences, a skill that can influence careers far beyond academia.
AI in academia: opportunity and caution
Monika uses AI in her business and recognizes its growing influence in higher education.
“Because I do use it regularly, I can recognize specific ways in which AI is writing and the way that AI is formulating sentences.”
Her familiarity with the technology gives her an insider’s perspective on both its capabilities and its pitfalls.
She explained that while AI can save time and streamline processes, it also introduces new layers of complexity, ethical concerns, data privacy challenges, the need for transparent proof of AI use, and the difficulty of creating policies that fit multiple disciplines with vastly different needs.
We discussed how adoption looks very different across fields: computer sciences are experimenting and innovating quickly, using AI as a creative partner in projects, while medical sciences must proceed with greater caution because accuracy and patient safety are paramount. The stakes are higher, the consequences of error more serious.
She sees promise in solutions like custom, private AI systems designed for secure data handling within specific institutions or companies. These could allow for controlled AI use without risking data leaks or compliance breaches, but such tools demand not only significant investment but also cultural readiness and staff training to implement them responsibly. This, she emphasized, is as much a question of leadership vision as it is of technology.
The role of scientific literacy
For Monika, scientific literacy is a critical skill for navigating today’s information landscape.
“With scientific understanding and education, you can look at information more objectively and assess whether it has been interpreted accurately or taken out of context.”
She stressed the importance of understanding research methods, sample sizes, and limitations to avoid overgeneralization, noting how easily misinformation can take hold when people lack these skills.
Drawing on examples from her work in nutrition, she described how a single small-scale study can be exaggerated into a sweeping claim that gains traction on social media. Without the ability to question the design, methodology, and scope of such studies, the public is left vulnerable to persuasive but misleading narratives. In her teaching, she integrates real-world examples into lessons, encouraging students to dissect headlines, question bold claims, and assess the credibility of sources.
Her commitment to fostering science communication and critical thinking in students goes beyond academic preparation. She views these abilities as essential life skills, tools that empower individuals to navigate a noisy, complex world and to engage with both professional peers and the general public from a position of informed confidence.
Research consistently shows that students with higher scientific literacy also demonstrate stronger critical thinking skills. One educational study even concluded that “there is a positive and significant correlation between scientific literacy and students’ critical thinking skills.”
Misinformation and the scientist’s voice
Social media amplifies misinformation, often faster than it can be corrected. Monika reflected on the early COVID-19 period: “Why were all the conspiracy theories so loud, but the scientists were so quiet?” This question captures her concern about the imbalance of voices in the public sphere: those spreading falsehoods often speak with confidence and urgency, while many experts hesitate to engage.
The scale of this challenge is staggering. Research shows that false information spreads six times faster than truth on social media platforms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 66% of bots discussing the virus were spreading misinformation. Studies reveal that 47% of U.S. adults encountered significant amounts of made-up news about COVID-19, while 38.2% of news consumers unknowingly shared fake news or misinformation on social media.
Her point speaks to a wider breakdown in the modern information ecosystem: the absence of credible scientific voices in fast-moving conversations can lead to a vacuum filled by speculation, fear, and opportunism.
She explained that many scientists lack training or confidence in public communication, and that the culture of peer review conditions them to expect intense scrutiny from colleagues before any statement is made. That cautious mindset, so essential within academia, becomes a limitation in real-time public discourse where immediacy often outweighs accuracy.
She noted the irony that misinformation requires no peer review, no references, no rigor, and yet travels faster and farther than painstakingly validated research. While a conspiracy theory might go viral overnight, a well-reasoned scientific rebuttal may sit buried behind paywalls or await internal approval. The public, left without accessible expert voices, gravitates toward whichever narrative is most engaging, or most alarming.
From her perspective, the solution is structural as well as personal. Institutions need to invest in equipping scientists with the skills and confidence to translate their findings for general audiences, without diluting the nuance or integrity of their work. At the same time, organizational cultures should evolve to reward, not punish, scientists who step into the public arena.
She emphasized the need for support systems that make timely, responsible public engagement not just possible, but sustainable. Beyond the academic sphere, Monika believes that social media platforms and policymakers must take greater responsibility for curbing the viral spread of false information, introducing mechanisms that elevate credible sources and slow the momentum of damaging content.
What she envisions is a new kind of scientist: someone who not only generates knowledge but also communicates it effectively within relevant contexts. The kind who actively shapes conversations using their expertise, stepping into public discourse when it matters most.
Conclusion: Building skills for a truthful future
Dr. Monika Gostic’s insights reveal a complex intersection between AI adoption, the evolving demands of education, and the fragile state of public trust in science. Her experiences show that academic rigor, when paired with practical, real-world skills and the ability to communicate clearly, can be a powerful force for progress.
In her view, the future will favor those who can navigate emerging technologies with discernment, teach others to think critically, and share knowledge in ways that engage and inspire. This applies as much to leaders in boardrooms as it does to educators, entrepreneurs, and public health advocates.
Whether she is in the lecture hall mentoring future scientists, on a research board shaping health policy, or working directly with clients in her nutritional coaching business, her focus remains on equipping others to understand, apply, and share science effectively in their own contexts. Her example is a reminder that influence stems from a combination of expertise and the active commitment to guide others in applying that knowledge responsibly.
If you want to explore how to prepare your organization for these challenges and opportunities, and to do so with a strategy that bridges knowledge, practice, and communication: let’s talk.
About the Author
Vlad writes about automation, operations, and the little tweaks that make a big difference in how businesses run. A former game designer turned founder, he now helps teams fix broken workflows and spot the revenue leaks hiding in plain sight.
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