VIDEO: Social media can be a valuable tool for physicians, says top GI influencer
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In this Healio video exclusive, Mohammad Bilal, MD, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, discusses how physicians can effectively use social media in gastroenterology and other health care specialties.
“As a gastroenterologist, it can be a really valuable tool if used properly,” Bilal said. “Obviously there are limitations to social media, like anything if it’s not used effectively, and it’s always important to be mindful of patient privacy as well as institutional and state social media rules for physicians.”
Bilal, who also is an advanced endoscopist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, won Healio’s 2021 Social Media Influencer award, one of several Disruptive Innovator awards given to physicians who are pushing the status quo toward the betterment of gastroenterology and liver diseases. He was honored for making a positive impact on social media as a health care provider in gastroenterology.
Bilal encourages physicians to determine goals of their social media use, whether it be for education, branding, networking, collaborating with colleagues or advancing research.
“Right now, social media is booming with knowledge, with education and with opportunities to collaborate with like-minded colleagues, as well as opportunities for promoting your research, promoting our science, your division, promoting your colleagues and promoting your mentees,” Bilal said.
Social media can also be a great tool for fighting misinformation, he said, which was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was really important to have voices to combat that misinformation.”
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