Generally speaking, medicine and healthcare isn’t often a topic of discussion that gets many people feeling motivated. Over the past year, however, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people have flocked to digital apps and social media platforms in attempts to better educate themselves about healthcare amidst the spread of coronavirus.
On one hand, this has only furthered the spread of misinformation regarding the virus and the vaccines which were made available to combat it. On the other hand, however, it has likewise caused a surge in medical professionals and healthcare workers creating education and informational content on those same platforms to fight against the spread of false or half-true information.
One such healthcare professional is Adam Goodcoff, the medical doctor behind the brand The Med Life, which has the goal of both motivating and educating members of the general public and healthcare workers alike to listen to science, adhere to factual medical knowledge, and do their part in helping to halt the spread of misconstrued or false medical information.
After founding The Med Life in 2019, Goodcoff rapidly amassed an online following of more than a million users across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. As he explains himself, this was in large part due to The Med Life being the first and (to date) only live and interactive medical simulation streamed on YouTube - and occasionally TikTok - completely free to users.
“I think the social media boom in medicine has by far been [an extremely] interesting and exciting opportunity,” Goodcoff said in an interview with Authority Magazine earlier this year. “Along with telemedicine, we are seeing an increase in the general public turning to their main social media channels for reliable and trustworthy sources for medical education and information.”
That mass turning to social media, as Goodcoff continues to explain, was particularly pertinent around discussion topics following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent rollouts of vaccines throughout 2020. While spending his days working with patients afflicted by coronavirus, personally witnessing the physical, mental, and emotional tolls it had on patients, Goodcoff utilized his platform and medical information livestreams to help clarify misinformation about both the virus and its vaccines to his followers - even going so far as to host a Q&A livestream about the vaccine after receiving it himself.
Along with his innovative livestreams on both YouTube and TikTok, Goodcoff has also become well known for his “You Be The Doctor” video series, which presents viewers with a medical scenario and a chance to test their knowledge by voting on which treatment should be given. Goodcoff and his medical expertise has also been utilized as a medical educator on social media, giving instructional courses and consulting on the use of social media in medicine and healthcare systems with a focus on medical knowledge translation.
With his ability to navigate controversial topics related to healthcare with ease and compassion, it’s little surprise that Goodcoff’s expertise has helped generate such a massive social media following in such a short time. When he’s not posting or live streaming online, however, Goodcoff remains dedicated to his day job as a healthcare professional. He has even assisted in co-publishing half a dozen academic journals on topics such as pediatric pneumonia, pre-hospital trauma interventions, and ways to foster student-driven medical education.
As for his commitment to living a dual-life as both a medical doctor and a leading healthcare influencer, Goodcoff says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the help of his friends and family.
“My best friend and business partner, Josh Opitz,” Goodcoff mentioned in his interview with Authority Magazine, “is the man behind the scenes spending hours editing videos, creating graphics, setting up partnerships and motivating me to push a little harder to make content after 28 hours on call for Trauma. My family, my girlfriend and my friends have all been tremendously supportive but Josh has been in the trenches through the ups and downs!”