"Dad, I have the hiccups,” the 20-something daughter says, her complaint punctuated with audible evidence. “That lady died that one time on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ from the hiccups.”
As her father curtly replies: “Stop watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’”
In another scene in the same video, the daughter is worried that when she closes her eyes at night, she feels dizzy—and according to Google, “it could be reduced blood flow to the brain.”
Her dad’s response? A skeptical stare, followed by one of his mantras: “Stop googling. Drink some water.”
The video is one of hundreds posted on TikTok and Instagram over the past year by College of Arts and Sciences biology alum Dan Cohen ’91, who has found online fame as “Dr. Dan Pediatrician.”
Cohen has a knack for easing viewers’ stress about medical worries—dispensing pithy advice, debunking myths and misconceptions, and showcasing relatable teasing, dad jokes, and family banter. The approach works: he has built an online following of more than 500,000 on TikTok and another 340,000 on Instagram. (He even has his own line of merch.)
Read the full story on the Cornellians website.
More News from A&S
A&S Dean to new students: ‘Ithaca isn’t the end of your journey, only the beginning’
New students
