Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals devote their lives to helping others to stay healthy and informed. Many use social media as a way to reach people with educational posts and entertaining videos to aid in sharing their professional knowledge. Here is a look at 10 healthcare influencers making a difference on social media in 2020.
Social Media Influencers in Healthcare 2020
- Dr. Sanja Gupta
- Dr. Mike
- Dr. Jason L. Campbell
- Nurse Blake
- Dr. Elvis
- ZDoggMD
- Kevin Pho, M.D.
- Nurse Nacole
- Dr. Aaron Carroll
- Jennifer Arnold, M.D.
CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanja Gupta, is also a staff neurosurgeon at Emory Clinic. On the news as well as his social media accounts, he keeps the world up-to-date with the latest information on fighting illnesses, staying healthy and understanding diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gupta’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram daily feeds are full of advice on how to deal with social isolation and factual medical information. His social media accounts, including TikTok, also include some content about his daughters and family. Gupta is a multiple Emmy award-winning medical correspondent.
Dr. Mikhail “Mike” Varshavski D.O. is a board-certified family medicine doctor actively practicing and living in New York City. Through his YouTube videos, Facebook, and Instagram posts, his goal is to make the medical field relatable, understandable, and fun. As a popular healthcare influencer, “Dr. Mike” also appears regularly on a variety of television shows as well as platforms like TEDx. His content is varied, including nutrition, mental health, kids’ health and current medical news as well as nonmedical content like men’s fashion, movie reviews and pets. Dr. Mike often holds Q&As and responds to comments from his followers.
During the coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Jason L. Campbell made national news as the anesthesiologist who dances on TikTok to lift people’s spirits. His motto is, “Take your job seriously, not yourself.” The TikTok Doc also gets his colleagues in on his posts for more smiles and fun. Jason is also a runner, coach, and op-ed writer for the Seattle Times and Chicago Tribune.
Blake Lynch is a registered nurse with a great sense of humor. His parodies, comical sketches, and memes all have nursing as the focal point. He’s a public speaker as well and started a grassroots movement, Banned4Life, that led to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift its ban on gay men being able to donate blood.
Orthopedic surgeon resident at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Elvis L. Francois understands that music is medicine. He uses his voice to advocate for causes, such as the YU Initiative mentorship program for underserved youth and the importance of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Dr. Elvis” and his colleague, Dr. William Robinson, use their musical gifts to cheer their patients as well as their social media fans, which number in the tens of thousands.
Dr. Zubin Damania has made over 50 medical-themed music videos to redefine patient education. The USCF and Stanford trained physician says he’s healthcare’s only unfiltered voice. Topics on his ZDoggMD podcast range from stopping the spread of COVID-19 to beating anxiety related to it as well as nutrition, medical news, health insurance, and more. Followers love his medical humor, healthcare satire, and parody videos.
On Dr. Kevin Pho’s blog, you’ll find informative articles about all aspects of healthcare where medical professionals share their stories and insights. Dr. Pho is a keynote speaker and physician coach who’s also a practicing, board-certified internal medicine physician.
Nacole Riccaboni is a registered nurse in Orlando, Florida. She created her blog and YouTube channel to help nurses learn more about the field and find support. She offers nursing hacks, nursing advice, CPR guidelines, calculations and more. Thousands of people listen to her podcasts.
Dr. Aaron Carroll is the host of the popular YouTube series Healthcare Triage, where he explains healthcare policy and medical research. He also answers a lot of questions about health, medicine, and healthcare. Dr. Carroll is a professor of pediatrics and associate dean for research mentoring at Indiana University’s School of medicine. Listeners are informed via his podcast, and he blogs at The Incidental Economist.
Dr. Jennifer Arnold is an award-winning neonatologist pediatrician who is a formidable advocate for healthcare simulation education. Many fans know and love her from TLC’s The Little Couple series, which she stars in with her husband and their two children. Her posts are full of her family as well as medical advice, and you’ll find her favorite things on Pinterest. Dr. Arnold recently launched her YouTube channel to share relatable content on parenting, medicine, health, disability, and career topics. Her first posts tackle needed topics like how to talk to your kids about quarantining during the COVID-19 outbreak, proper handwashing, and protecting your loved ones.
Healthcare influencers take to social media to inform, inspire and support the public as well as each other. They can also be strong advocates for brands that share their same values. Marketers can turn to IZEA to find more healthcare influencers like these to promote your next influencer marketing campaign.
