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20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019
| Contributor Information
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20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Social media allows physicians to connect with peers around the world and share opinions on medical developments, healthcare policy, and even personal causes. Doctors can inform, incite, and inspire others.
To be a true "influencer," physicians need to provide useful information and interact with their medical counterparts in a meaningful way. They should also set an industry standard for best practices on social media, including behaving ethically and staying away from special interests.
To shape our list, we started with metrics regarding number of followers, interactions, and scope. We also invited three social media–savvy docs to weigh in on who's using social media effectively: Michael Woo-Ming, MD, MPH, CEO of BootstrapMD, a business consultancy for physicians, specializing in digital marketing; Alexa Mieses, MD, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of North Carolina; and Alok Patel, MD, pediatrician in New York, journalist, and CNN medical producer.
The former CDC director and ABC News chief health and medical editor now serves as CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In addition to sharing the organization's latest research, Besser uses his Twitter account to discuss a number of healthcare issues facing our nation. He often offers resources and information for fellow physicians, and many of his tweets attract responses from front-line doctors who appreciate his help.
Image from austinchiangmd/Instagram
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Chiang, a Philadelphia-based gastroenterologist, often uses Twitter to promote the use of social media in medicine as well as dispel medical misinformation. As president of the Association for Healthcare Social Media and chief medical social media officer for Jefferson Health, he shares insights and information on his Instagram page, receiving replies from fellow physicians regarding life in medicine.
Image from Esther Choo, MD, MPH/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The emergency physician uses her social media platform to discuss hard healthcare topics, including sexism and racism, and to advocate for multicultural and diversity issues in medicine. She often posts news links and engages followers in dialogue but more often provides a safe space for them to share experiences and opinions online.
Image from Dr. Corriel/YouTube
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The New York–based internist calls herself an "MD by day, content-creating monster by night." She developed Doctors on Social Media to help her peers grow online brands, and her Twitter account is a mix of healthcare conversation and tips for using social media platforms. Corriel likes to integrate humor into her take on physician life; she recently debuted a new series on her YouTube page: "Doctors on Walks Getting Food."
Image from Dr. Zubin Damania/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Many physicians know Damania by his online alter ego: ZDoggMD. The hospitalist/humorist shares his healthcare rap parodies and music videos on all of his social media channels, as well as his podcast, Incident Report. His followers seem to enjoy the unfiltered opinions and levity.
Image from Jessi Gold/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
A rising voice in mental health, the psychiatrist, author, and professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis tweets several times a day. From news articles to general musings, Gold often makes one post evolve into a thread of give-and-take with peers, offering support, challenging views, and generally entertaining readers along the way.
Image from drjengunter/Instagram
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The Canadian ob/gyn rose to fame online when she took on Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness and beauty company) and other pseudoscience claims. Gunter pulls few punches on topics where a physician's perspective is key, from media coverage of abortion to healthcare policy.
Image from emilyjacobsmd/Instagram
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Jacobs' Instagram account has morphed over the years, documenting her life in medical residency, the birth of her first child, and now her second pregnancy. Along the way, Iowa-based Jacobs uses her own experiences to discuss obstetric issues, dispel women's health myths, and approach other issues facing her peers.
Image from Mama Doctor Jones/YouTube
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Better known online as Mama Doctor Jones, the Texas-based gynecologist started posting women's health and pregnancy videos on YouTube 2 years ago. She recently started the "Ob/Gyn Reacts" series, providing her medical take on fictional and reality television. On Instagram she shares what her work-life balance looks like, and on Twitter she often interacts with peers regarding the news of the day or engages them in discussion of things both medical and humorous.
Image from Dr. Leslie/Tik Tok
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Although she has fewer followers on Twitter, Leslie is at the forefront of some newer social media platforms. The Minnesota-based family medicine resident made national news recently with her videos on vaping, using the social media video platform Tik Tok. Millions have viewed her warnings to teens about the dangers of using e-cigarettes. But Leslie has a lighter side too. She also posts humorous videos about life in residency and healthcare in general, often responding to viewer comments.
Image from Howard Luks/YouTube
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Judging by the comments from his YouTube subscribers, patients love the orthopedic surgeon/sports medicine specialist's medical advice. Luks communicates with his physician peers on Twitter and Instagram, where he also shares journal and media articles. His recent "things you've dropped on the floor" thread on Twitter received various humorous responses from surgeons and other doctors.
Image from AlexMMTri/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The California-based family/sports medicine physician and former pro triathlete shares his opinions on various medical issues and is a frequent poster to #SoMeDocs (physicians involved in social media). He often links to various news outlets and medical journals, engaging followers in thoughtful discussion (and occasional humor) on topics ranging from vaping to vaccination. A passionate family doc, McDonald often shares news from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Image from drjohnm/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The Kentucky-based cardiologist and Medscape writer/podcaster uses his Twitter account to share various journal and other articles, often offering his two cents along the way. Mandrola asks thought-provoking questions of his peers and also promotes other docs on social media. On Instagram, he gives a more personal look at his life with his family and as an avid cycler, and shares first-person insights on medicine.
Image from kevinmd/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Pho, well known for his eponymous blog, uses his Twitter and Facebook pages primarily to share voices of other physicians, exploring everything from burnout to childbirth. A look at the New Hampshire–based internist's Instagram page also reveals posts on various conference happenings and other events.
Image from myronlrolle/Instagram
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Rolle, a former professional football player, is now conducting his neurosurgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). On both Twitter and Instagram, he shares his medical journey and the links to his football past. His most recent experience took him home, to the Bahamas, as part of a global disaster response team coordinated by MGH.
Image from SashaShillcutt/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
The Nebraska-based anesthesiologist is also the founder of Brave Enough, a Twitter account that empowers and encourages women to stand up in their professional and personal lives. The group's #morethanone pledge promotes more female decision-making and job candidates, and other ways to increase the presence of women in various fields. Her own Twitter account provides a platform to communicate with other #womeninmedicine and share their perspectives.
Image from JulieSilverMD/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
In addition to sharing some of her own work, Silver, associate professor and associate chair of Harvard Medical School's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, often retweets her peers' work, making for a daily digest of news and tips on everything from social media use to gender equality.
Image from drwendysueswanson/Instagram
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Many physicians and patients know Swanson via her former Twitter handle, SeattleMamaDoc, which she used for more than a decade. Swanson, who recently ended a stint as chief of digital innovation for Seattle Children's, offers her perspectives on everything from breastfeeding to vaping to advancing digital health. On Instagram she shares journal articles of interest and information useful to her peers and their patients.
Image from EricTopol/Twitter
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Medscape's editor-in-chief provides a one-stop location for interesting research, journal articles, and opinion. Topol, the physician/scientist and founder/director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, shares the latest published literature daily, often highlighting key passages for his peers. Doctors can also find humorous cartoons, thoughts on health IT, and other useful information on his Instagram account.
Image from Doctor Mike/YouTube
20 Top Physician Social Media Influencers
Keith L. Martin | October 17, 2019 | Contributor Information
Mike Varshavski, DO
Twitter: 167,500 followers Instagram: 3.3 million followers YouTube: 4.2 million subscribers
The New York–based family medicine physician shot to fame a few years ago after being featured in People's "Sexiest" issue and has grown a social media following in the millions. Varshavski also provides some comic relief for fellow physicians on his YouTube channel, with his reviews of medical memes and his "Doctor Reacts" series, where he watches fictional medical television and breaks down the various inaccuracies.
Medscape rated states and cities on the basis of a variety of livability factors, as well as financial factors that could affect physicians.Medscape Features Slideshows, May 2019
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Keith L. Martin
Editorial Director, Medscape Business of Medicine
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