Caroline Petronis

I’m a PhD candidate in sociology and science studies here at UCSD. I’m interested in how AI systems are changing the process and networks of expertise involved in medical diagnosis. I examine AI systems with diverse users, use cases, and impacts on diagnosis. One strand of this research examines how social media has changed the dissemination and validation of information about diagnostic categories. Another focuses on the use of medical chatbots for diagnostic purposes for both clinical and non-expert audiences. Finally, I am interested in understanding how AI’s incorporation into electronic clinical decision support systems (eCDSSs) impacts existing patterns of diagnostic decision-making and expert collaboration in the field of clinical genomics.

When I’m not in my office (and sometimes even when I'm in my office), you can probably find me watching some kind of sports. If Duke basketball is playing, you can DEFINITELY find me watching the Blue Devils!

Education

CPhil: University of California San Diego, Sociology
MA: University of California San Diego, Sociology
BA: Duke University, Individualized Degree in Scientific Representation


Selected Publications

Petronis, Caroline, Phillip H. Roth, and Alin Olteanu (2025). “A Pandemic of Desire: The Entanglement of Social and Biomedical Contagion on Social Media During COVID-19.” Information, Communication, and Society 0(0):1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2525487.

Research Interests

science studies, sociology of expertise, sociology of AI, sociology of diagnosis, social media and (mis)information, digital culture, public understanding of science

Link to Personal Website: https://www.carolinepetronis.com/

Link to CV: https://bit.ly/CarolinePetronisCV

Link to Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPetroAcademic