Lakshmi Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D., embodies the fascinating intersection of medicine, literature, and history. Born in India and educated in England and the United States, she brings a truly global perspective to her role as founding director of the Medical Humanities Initiative at Georgetown University. Under her leadership, Georgetown’s unique program unites the Medical Center and College of Arts and Sciences, creating innovative spaces where faculty, medical students, and undergraduates explore healthcare's pressing challenges.

A Rhodes Scholar with a doctorate in English Literature from Oxford and medical training from Johns Hopkins and Duke, she received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for her groundbreaking research connecting medical diagnosis and detective fiction. As both a practicing physician at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and a cultural historian of medicine, Krishnan has shaped new approaches to understanding diagnostic reasoning, health disparities, and pandemic responses.

Her work appears in leading journals like The Lancet, and she co-leads the Georgetown Howard Center for Medical Humanities and Health Justice, addressing health challenges in DC.