33-2 Podiatry and Medicine in the Age of Social Media

Description

EDITORIAL

Since its very inception, social media has disrupted areas of life that we’d have never expected. In the younger days of the internet, most early adopters were unaware of what would evolve from a time-consuming habit into a necessary part of daily life. What began as a fad, social media quickly grew to invade many internet users’ social lives. However, it has simultaneously grown into an absolute necessity in the realm of business, and healthcare is not immune. For this issue, I have had the privilege of steering my colleagues’ gaze toward the powerful, turbulent and often daunting sea of unpredictability that is social media’s impact on the way we operate as podiatrists. Like ancient sailors without the guide of navigation, podiatric physicians must wade into these waters with care.

In this issue, I have gathered residents and alumni from some of the top programs in the nation: Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, IN, Chino Valley Medical Center in Chino, CA and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. These young podiatric physicians provide insight from peer- reviewed publications regarding the impact of social media upon healthcare, ranging from how social media use has impacted residency programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the weighty impact of these plat- forms upon healthcare communities in China.

In his Feature Article, Dr. Miguel Rodriguez (one of the top podiatrists in the Los Angeles area) provides insight into how podiatric physicians can leverage their social media presence to tip the scales toward positive results, both for their patients and for their own training and practice. This topic has been a favorite of mine over the years, as it continues to evolve as the platforms themselves do. What used to be a monopoly of internet users on “MySpace” is now ancient history, after less than fifteen years! I’m excited to see how the weight of current social media platforms affects healthcare, compared to earlier platforms and those ahead.

In her Audio Lecture, my good friend (and “celebrity bae”) Dr. Sarah Haller talks about the role that social media has played in her spectacular rise from student, to resident, to fellow and practitioner, and finally to reality TV star surgeon. Being based in Los Angeles, I’ve known a few podiatrists that have taken the plunge into the entertainment industry, but Dr. Haller has truly mastered the impossible task of balancing day-to-day patient care and surgeries with reality show filming.

In smartly investing her time into her own social media and podcast presence, our second Lecturer Dr. Tea Nguyen has built one of the top practices and coaching platforms for women in podiatry. She has never been shy about her opinions and commentary on her social media, and she provides us with a talk about how she built her “online empire” from the west coast.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring together these important perspectives for you as the reader. Overall, social media will continue to evolve and so this issue will not be the final say. Someday in the not-too-distant future we may be discussing “Podiatry in the Metaverse,” and I’m all for it.

Wenjay Sung, DPM, FACFAS