Social media

Scammers stole my doctor identity on Facebook

Social media
December 8, 2025

15 years. That’s how long I’d been building my Facebook presence from grammar school friends to medical school colleagues, from former patients to the professional community I’d cultivated as a medical oncologist. Two years ago, I converted it to a business page to share evidence-based cancer information.

Then scammers stole my identity to sell fake cancer cures, and Facebook banned me while they stayed active.

The impersonation

It started with a message from …

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First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

Social media
June 16, 2025

If you’re a physician or practice owner, here’s a challenge: open a browser and Google yourself. Now ask a trusted friend or family member—ideally someone who fits your ideal patient profile—to do the same. What do they see?

Do you show up in the top three listings?

Are there recent reviews with 4+ stars?

Does your website look current—or like it hasn’t been touched since 2012?

For most patients, that quick glance is all …

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What teenagers on TikTok are saying about skin care—and why that’s a problem

Social media
June 10, 2025

“We’re six minutes in now, and she’s applied almost ten products.”

That’s how Dr. Molly Hales begins the video abstract for her recent Pediatrics study on TikTok skin care trends. The clip she’s referring to features a young girl layering product after product—acids, toners, serums—each promising glowier, cleaner, brighter skin.

This child isn’t an outlier. In a recent study analyzing 100 viral TikTok skin care videos posted by users aged 7 to …

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How social media and telemedicine are transforming patient care

Social media
May 7, 2025

In today’s digital world, health care is no longer confined to hospital walls. Social media platforms are influencing health behaviors, while telemedicine technologies are redefining patient-doctor interactions. But are these innovations improving health care, and what are the risks, if any? This article explores how digital platforms, namely social media and telemedicine technologies, are reshaping patient care and bridging gaps in education, access, and engagement.

For many, social …

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How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

Social media
April 19, 2025

An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General.

“I’ve had two major messages that I’ve tried to get out to the public all my professional life,” Koop proclaimed. “One is to take charge of your own health. The other is that there is no prescription I can give you that is more valuable than knowledge … I’ve tried the non-profit world, …

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How I escaped the toxic grip of social media

Social media
April 10, 2025

Social media is an incredible tool for staying connected with loved ones and the world. But sometimes, I wonder, are we truly connected? Or is this connection merely an illusion?

I was addicted to social media. I believe this addiction began in 2012, during my first year of medical school. That’s when I asked my father to install an internet connection, claiming it was just for study purposes. It’s a common …

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Why doctors must fight health misinformation on social media

Social media
January 29, 2025

A tweet on “X” (formerly known as “Twitter”), dated Jan. 2, 2024, and attributed to Elon Musk stated:

“… heavy use of C-sections allows for a larger brain, as brain size has historically been limited by birth canal diameter.”

For some reason, this statement was recently circulating on social media, even though it is a year old. I first came across the statement in a Facebook group for physicians, where a colleague …

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I was trolled by another physician on social media. I am happy I did not respond.

Social media
May 21, 2024

I enjoy using social media (SoMe). These social communications-based, user-generated platforms part of Web 2.0 can be a great way to eat up time while scrolling mindlessly through funny posts, “how-to” cooking videos, or find breaking news updates (while being mindful of source reputation, of course). In medicine, SoMe can be an exceptional tool to combat medical misinformation, evolve …

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Social media: Striking a balance for physicians and parents

Social media
May 4, 2024

We live in an always-on, information-overloaded, highlight-reel, echo-chamber world. Medical practices are increasingly relying on mobile applications and social media for communication, service promotion, and education. How can we balance social media and device use—arguably imperative activities for many of us—with the other things in life that matter? And how can we, physicians using these programs both personally and professionally, serve as role models for our families and communities?

I recently …

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Why your doctor has an OnlyFans

Social media
January 12, 2024

I read an article yesterday about a teenager who became suicidal after his classmates learned that his mother had an OnlyFans account. Ironically, I have a 12-year-old son, and I had just created my own account. I shared this news with my son, and his first question was, “Is your face on it?” The second question was, “Is your name on it?” and the last question was, “Why are you …

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Why building your social media following is critical to your practice’s success

Social media
July 7, 2023

Scrolling through social media, you might come to believe that it’s only for models, foodies, and cute dogs. While these types of accounts are certainly popular, the truth of the matter is that social media is a powerful tool you can use to propel your practice forward. With it, you can create meaningful content that changes lives, gain a loyal band of followers, and, ultimately, bring an incredible amount of …

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Physician burnout: the impact of social media on mental health and the urgent need for change

Social media
May 6, 2023

Burnout is an increasingly common phenomenon affecting approximately 63 percent of physicians. The etiology is multifactorial, with excessive workloads leading to sleep deprivation and curtailed self-care. Social media is a significant contributor to burnout that we easily overlook.

Perhaps we’re looking for an escape on social media, but is more screen time what we really need?

How does social media use contribute to burnout?

Let’s face it; social media is a time vacuum. …

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From penicillin to digital health: the impact of social media on medicine

Social media
March 20, 2023

In a growing social media world population, one cannot ignore the technological invasion of the medical world. From the discovery of penicillin to electronic medical records and the digital health revolution, real medical revolutions are not too many.

However, social media is disrupting the medical ecosystem and how we practice medicine. Information to the public is moving from a “push system,” where the teacher or the publisher decides what information to …

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Blogging for beginners: tips for success in any niche

Social media
March 6, 2023

There’s a blog for everyone! Whether you cannot get enough awkward family pictures, epidemiologist input, cat humor, vegetarian cooking recipes, menopause tips, or love to geek out on pie charts – there’s a blogger out there creating content for you.

What this means – aside from endless entertainment possibilities – is that no matter how obscure your niche may be, opportunity abounds for you to start blogging, too.

Why blog?

Blogging allows you …

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What I learned after being hacked on social media

Social media
June 5, 2022

“The email on your account was changed. If you didn’t change your email address, you can secure your account here.”

I saw this email from Instagram and immediately had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I clicked the link, but it was too late.

My Instagram account was hacked, and I lost access to everything.

I have heard stories about people getting hacked and never paused to think that it could happen to me.

Until …

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On the internet, you are looking for something to make you angry

Social media
April 24, 2022

Back on the internet, you are looking for something to make you angry. It’s a habit you picked up as a researcher, stuck in your lab until sunset, walking home to those empty walls. It’s one you’ve kept as a medical student.

It’s always the most belligerent takes that ignite you. The ones that leap to the front line, waving old middle school science like it’s pure, unshifting truth. It needles …

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They didn’t teach social media in medical school

Social media
April 3, 2022

Why should doctors become involved in social media?  I asked myself this same question a few years ago.  My answer was, “I don’t know.” I saw no redeeming reason to get involved with social media as a physician.  At the time, I just saw it as a social platform for posting cute family photos, funny pet videos, jokes, inspirational quotes, and links to entertaining stories.  Sure, a lot of that …

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