Palaniappan Manickam

Last updated
Palaniappan Manickam (Dr. Pal)
Born
Madurai, India
Education
Occupation Gastroenterologist
Known forMedia personality. ("MedCom")
Medical career
ProfessionMedical doctor, health advocate
FieldMedicine
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers2.64 million [1]
Total views780.7 million [1]
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: April 2, 2024
Website drpalmanickam.com

Palaniappan Manickam, better known as Dr. Pal, is a board-certified gastroenterologist, [2] who is originally from India, and currently practices in California. He specializes in gut health, time-restricted eating, and a mostly plant-based diet. He is also a celebrity doctor who uses in-person and virtual stand-up comedy ("MedCom") to educate the general public on chronic illness intervention.

Contents

Early life and education

Manickam was born and raised in Madurai, India. [3] [4] [5] He received his MBBS from PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Coimbatore, India, his MPH from University of Massachusetts Boston, and his residency in Internal Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan. [6] He did his gastroenterology fellowship at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. [2]

Career

Manickam is a gastroenterologist at a hospital in Sacramento, California. [3] [5] He also uses a form of stand-up comedy he dubs "MedCom," [7] on social media and in person in order to educate the general public on gut health and chronic illness intervention. [5] [4] [8] [9]

Manickam made his first video in March 2020 [10] during the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that it "all started when an NGO got in touch with me saying they wanted a video for Covid awareness. I agreed and prepared a 10-minute script in four hours. They saw the video and wrote back to me saying this was very comical and that they wanted a professional video. I was gutted because I had spent a lot of time writing the jokes. They suggested I upload it on YouTube." [9] Manickam followed through and created a YouTube channel, uploading the video. He then shared the video with a WhatsApp group that he belonged to, and the video went viral. [10] He subsequently developed his YouTube channel, and created channels on other social media outlets such as Instagram. [7]

While the initial content of his videos focused on COVID-19, it gradually shifted to gut-health, time-restricted eating, mostly plant-based diets, and weight loss. [9] Manickam also began to study the genre of stand-up comedy, and invented the character "Saravana Kumar" as a means of connecting with his audience. [7] He eventually began to perform his "medcom" routines in live stand - up performances in the United States, India, [5] [9] and Malaysia. [11]

Manickam says that his comedic videos and live performances are his form of giving back, [10] as all funds collected from his media outlets go towards Aishwaryam Trust, Madurai (a foundation which offers Palliative care). [8]

Honors

In 2024, Rediff.com listed Manickam as one of “India’s Top Social Media Influencers.” [12]

Personal life

Manickam and his wife Priya (a data scientist in a software company) [10] live with their two children (Arjun and Atharva) in Sacramento, California. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 "About DrPal". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 "Dr. Palaniappan Manickam, MD". Doximity. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  3. 1 2 Sunder, Kalpana (2023-11-05). "Losing belly fat, intermittent fasting for weight loss – doctor, YouTube star 'Dr Pal' uses humour to promote healthy living". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  4. 1 2 James, Merin (2023-08-02). "Medcom: Dr Pal's unique prescription to bridge health, humour". DT Next. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ramanujam, Srinivasa (2023-08-09). "Meet stand-up comedian Dr Pal, who combines medical information and comedy". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  6. ↑ "About Dr. Pal". drpalmanickam.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  7. 1 2 3 Clarance, Daphne (2024-01-01). "How a doctor is proving laughter is the best medicine". India Today. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  8. 1 2 Rajagopal, Rashmi (2023-08-15). "Doctor uses 'med-comedy' to promote good health". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Ahmed, Muskaan (2023-08-27). "The doctor with a funny bone". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Indian doctor in US on a mission to reduce people's belly fat". The Times of India . 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  11. ↑ Mani, Sowmya (2023-10-23). "A Doctor or a Standup Comedian? Dr Pal Manickam On Using Laughter As Medicine For Millions". thebetterindia.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  12. ↑ Nair, Divya (2024-02-03). "India's Top Social Media Influencers". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  13. ↑ TN Health Desk (2023-01-18). "Fatty Liver Disease: Gastroenterologist stresses on taking action". Times Now. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.


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