Physician Bio Examples and Template

What every physician bio includes

Name and earned credentials. Use the degree you hold (MD, DO, or a medical degree earned abroad such as MBBS) and name the specialty of any board certification. Patients can look up ABMS board certification on Certification Matters; the AOA directs credentialers to AOAProfiles to verify DO board certification.
Current role and setting. Your title, practice or department, and city, so readers can confirm they found the right physician.
Focus in plain language. Name the conditions, procedures or research questions you work on. Write "treats back and neck pain without surgery" instead of only "interventional spine."
Training. Medical school, residency and fellowship, named exactly as on your CV.
One distinguishing fact. A research area, leadership role, teaching appointment or the languages you speak with patients.
A next step. Patients need the booking route, colleagues need the referral line, and organizers need a contact for speaking requests.

Examples by audience

All names, institutions and details in these examples are invented. Sample City and every practice named here are fictional.

For patients

Patient bios explain what you treat, how you approach care and how to book. First person or third person both work if you keep one voice.

Fictional example: interventional spine and sports medicine, third person, 116 words

Dr. Maya Ellison is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician (physiatrist) at Meridian Spine & Motion in Sample City who treats back, neck and joint pain with exercise-based care and image-guided injections. She graduated from Sample State University School of Medicine, completed residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation and a fellowship in interventional spine and sports medicine, and she is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Many of her patients are runners, people with physically demanding jobs and older adults who want to stay active. She performs ultrasound and fluoroscopy-guided injections when exercise-based care has not been enough. Dr. Ellison sees new patients at the Sample City clinic; appointments are booked through the practice's scheduling page.

Fictional example: family medicine, first person, 79 words

I'm Daniel Reyes, DO, a family physician at Harbor Family Health in Sample City. I care for patients of all ages, from newborn checkups to diabetes and blood pressure management, and I see patients in English and Spanish. As an osteopathic physician, I trained in osteopathic manipulative treatment and offer it when it fits a care plan. I'm board certified in family medicine. New patients can request an appointment through the Harbor Family Health front desk or patient portal.

For referring clinicians

Referral bios lead with scope: which patients to send, what you do for them and how to reach you.

Fictional example: cardiac electrophysiology, third person, 63 words

Priya Raman, MD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Lakeview Heart Associates in Sample City. Her practice focuses on atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation, and pacemaker and defibrillator management. She completed internal medicine residency and fellowships in cardiovascular disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology and is board certified in both. Referrals are accepted through the practice's provider line; include recent ECGs and device reports when available.

Fictional example: pediatric gastroenterology, third person, 68 words

Samuel Ortiz, MD, is a pediatric gastroenterologist at Sample City Children's Clinic. He evaluates children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, feeding difficulties and chronic abdominal pain, and he performs pediatric endoscopy. He completed pediatrics residency and a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship and is board certified in pediatric gastroenterology. Referring clinicians can reach him through the clinic's provider line; please send growth charts and prior lab results.

For conference programs and author notes

Program bios are short, third person and focused on why you are qualified to speak on the topic.

Fictional example: oncology researcher, third person, 52 words

Elena Marsh, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of medicine at Sample State University, where she leads the thoracic oncology clinical trials program. Her research examines biomarkers that predict response to immunotherapy in lung cancer. She has served as principal investigator on multicenter trials and teaches in the hematology and oncology fellowship.

Fictional example: emergency medicine educator, third person, 44 words

Marcus Bell, MD, is an emergency physician and residency program director at Sample City General Hospital. He speaks on simulation-based training, handoff communication and resident wellness, and he co-authored the hospital's simulation curriculum for emergency medicine residents. He is board certified in emergency medicine.

Fill-in template

Replace each bracket, then delete the sentences your audience does not need. The first paragraph alone makes a short program bio.

[Name], [MD or DO][, other earned degrees], is a [specialist title, such as cardiologist] at [practice, hospital or university] in [city]. [Pronoun] [treats, studies or teaches, matching the pronoun] [conditions, procedures or research topics in plain language].

[Dr. Last name] completed medical school at [school], residency in [specialty] at [institution][, and a fellowship in [subspecialty] at [institution]], and is board certified in [specialty].

[One distinguishing fact: research focus, leadership role, teaching appointment or languages spoken.]

[Next step for this reader: how patients book, how colleagues refer, or how organizers send speaking requests.]

How long a physician bio should be

When a publisher, conference or employer sets a word limit, use theirs. Without one, these are the ranges we use.

Short: 40 to 60 words: Conference programs, speaker introductions and author notes. Keep name, credentials, role and one focus area.
Medium: 60 to 150 words: Practice and hospital profiles, referral directories, Doximity and LinkedIn. Add training, board certification and a next step.
Long: 250 to 400 words: The About page of a personal website. Add your approach, research, teaching and links to selected work. The portfolio guide covers the rest of the site.

What to leave out

Patient information. No patient stories, photos or details without the patient's written authorization. AMA Opinion 2.3.2 asks physicians not to publish patient information online without appropriate consent.
Claims you cannot support. Skip "best," "leading" and success rates you cannot document. AMA Opinion 9.6.1 says publicity must not contain false or misleading statements, and the FTC expects health claims to be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence.
Credentials you do not currently hold. Remove lapsed certifications and never present board eligibility as certification. The FSMB policy on social media tells physicians not to misrepresent training, expertise or credentials.
Invented or bought testimonials. The FTC finalized a rule in August 2024 that bans fake reviews and testimonials.
Private details. Home address, personal phone number and family names do not belong in a bio that will be copied and indexed.

Common questions

Should a physician bio be in the first or third person?

Conference programs, hospital directories and author notes use the third person. A personal website or patient page can use either; keep one voice within a bio.

Can I say I am board eligible?

Say "board eligible in [specialty]" only while your board considers you eligible, never present it as certification, and update the bio when you are certified.

Can I include patient testimonials?

Only real ones used with the patient's written permission. The FTC rule finalized in August 2024 bans fake reviews and testimonials and buying or selling them.

How often should I update my bio?

Update it when your role, location, certification or contact route changes, and update every profile that uses it at the same time.

Turn your bio into a website

The free preview builds a private draft from your CV in your browser and publishes nothing. A paid plan adds team review before launch, hosting and monthly updates.

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Sources

Sources checked October 11, 2026. Policies and prices change; confirm current terms with each source.