Coronavirus in Context

WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, MPH, interviews the nation's top experts to get answers to the big coronavirus questions that are top of mind for us all.

At-Home Support for Advanced Lung Disease Is Here WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Deborah P. Brown, Chief Mission Officer, American Lung Association, and Tom Koutsoumpas, CEO, National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, about their partnering to develop a comprehensive guide to support caregivers and people living with advanced lung disease.
WebMD, December 2022
Eric Topol, MD, Answers Your Questions About Boosters WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Eric Topol, MD, Executive Vice President, Scripps Research, and Editor-in-Chief, Medscape, about COVID-19 boosters, who should get one, and when.
WebMD, November 2022
Everything We Know About Long COVID WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Eric Topol, MD, Executive Vice President, Scripps Research, and Editor-in-Chief, Medscape, about our current understanding of Long COVID causes, symptoms, treatments, and advocacy.
WebMD, September 2022
How Do Emerging Threats Compare to COVID-19? WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Eric Topol, MD, Executive Vice President, Scripps Research, and Editor-in-Chief, Medscape, about the emerging threat of monkeypox and how it compares to that of COVID-19.
WebMD, August 2022
What Role Does Google Play in Public Health? WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, Chief Health Officer at Google, about the role the technology company is playing in public health and what it has learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
WebMD, July 2022
U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Health Worker Burnout WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, MD, about the urgent need to address a growing health worker burnout crisis across the country.
WebMD, May 2022
Should You Get a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster? WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, discusses the latest guidelines and recommendations on getting your second COVID-19 vaccine booster.
WebMD, May 2022
Exploring Paxlovid as a Treatment Option for COVID-19 WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, discusses the antiviral drug called Paxlovid and the U.S. government's new nationwide COVID-19 Test to Treat initiative.
WebMD, May 2022
Are You Eligible for a New Therapy That Might Prevent COVID-19? Learn More On Evusheld WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, discusses the new FDA-authorized preventative drug for COVID-19 called Evusheld.
WebMD, May 2022
Eric Topol, MD, Discusses the Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Data WebMD's Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, speaks with Eric Topol, MD, Executive Vice President, Scripps Research, and Editor-in-Chief, Medscape, about the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster data.
WebMD, April 2022

John Whyte, MD, MPH, is a popular physician and writer who has been communicating to the public about health issues for nearly two decades.

Whyte is the Chief Medical Officer, WebMD. In this role, Whyte leads efforts to develop and expand strategic partnerships that create meaningful change around important and timely public health issues. Prior to WebMD, Whyte served as the director of professional affairs and stakeholder engagement at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Whyte worked with health care professionals, patients, and patient advocates, providing them with a focal point for advocacy, enhanced two-way communication, and collaboration, assisting them in navigating the FDA on issues concerning drug development, review, and drug safety. He also developed numerous initiatives to address diversity in clinical trials.

Prior to this, Whyte worked for nearly a decade as the chief medical expert and vice president, health and medical education, at Discovery Channel, the leading nonfiction television network. In this role, Whyte developed, designed, and delivered educational programming that appealed to both a medical and lay audience. This included television shows as well as online content that won over 50 awards including numerous Tellys, CINE Golden Eagle, and Freddies.

Whyte is a board-certified internist. He completed an internal medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center as well as earned a Master of Public Health in health policy and management at Harvard University School of Public Health. Prior to arriving in Washington, Whyte was a health services research fellow at Stanford and attending physician in the department of medicine. He has written extensively in the medical and lay press.

He continues to see patients in Washington, DC, and Maryland.