Kevin Pho

Last updated
Kevin Pho
Kevin Pho.jpg
Born
Education Boston University (BA, MD)
Occupation(s)Internal medicine physician, blogger, commentator
Website KevinMD.com

Kevin Pho is an American physician of internal medicine, media commentator, public speaker, and author. He is the founder and editor of KevinMD.com, a website aimed at medical professionals.

Contents

Pho writes on issues of medical technology in practice, doctors and patients engaging one another online, and how physicians can cultivate online reputations. His writings have been published in USA Today, CNN.com, and The New York Times, among others. He is also the co-author of the book Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.

Early life and education

Pho was born in Princeton, New Jersey. He grew up in Sarnia, Ontario, where he attended Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School, then moved to Richmond Hill, Ontario, where he went to high school at University of Toronto Schools.

He attended Boston University where he earned his B.A./M.D. in 1999, after which he completed the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Boston University Medical Center. [1]

Career

Medical career and KevinMD

In 2004, Pho started the blog, KevinMD, in response to positive feedback from patients who read his blog post about the Vioxx recall. [2] [3] He had previously worked as a researcher for Google Answers, where he would answer questions by patients, and realized that patients did not seem to be getting the information they needed in the examination room. [2]

Pho frequently writes about the benefits of physicians using social media as a way to help patients locate reliable information about healthcare [3] and to communicate issues with medicine to the public and among colleagues. [4] [5] Over 1,000 healthcare professionals contribute articles to KevinMD.com. [6]

In 2009, his blog received 1.4 million unique visitors. That year, Pho raised $1,000 to support the United Way of Greater Nashua by using his Twitter and Facebook profiles. [1]

Pho received criticism for posting an article about a surgeon whose supervisor intentionally harmed a patient during vascular surgery in order to provide a teaching opportunity. [7] [8] Pho removed the story after it was determined to be fiction and apologized for not vetting its truth. [9]

As of 2018, he practices in Nashua, New Hampshire, with the St. Joseph Hospital Adult Medicine (formerly named the Nashua Medical Group). [1]

Writing and public speaking

Pho has appeared as a keynote speaker and panel member for the Massachusetts Medical Society, The New England Journal of Medicine , Texas Medical Association, BlogWorld, New Media Expo, [10] the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters, [11] The Pri Med South Annual Conference, [12] The American Orthopaedic Association, [13] Pain Week, [14] the WSMA 2016 Annual Meeting, [15] Planetree International Conference on Patient-Centered Care, [16] and the College of American Pathologists Pathologists' Meeting [17]

Pho is on USA Today's board of contributors. [18] He is also a contributor to The New York Times' "Room for Debate" and CNN. [19] [20] [21]

In 2013, Pho published Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices. The book provides tips and testimonials for doctors using social media. [22]

Reception

Pho blogs on KevinMD.com was called a "must-read blog" by Rebecca Ruiz of Forbes. [23] His Twitter account was recommended by CNN, [24] The Guardian , [25] and by Stat News. [26] His opinion pieces appear in multiple print and online media sources. [27] [28]

In February 2010, Pho was listed in the New Hampshire Union Leader's ‘Top 40 Under 40.’ [29] In January 2012, Pho was listed on Klout as the #1 healthcare social media influencer and #1 social media influencer in medicine. [30]

In 2017 and 2018, he was named as one of New Hampshire magazine's Top Doctors. The list is determined based on a survey of all practicing physicians in the state of New Hampshire, asking them which doctor they would choose to provide medical care to a friend or a loved one. [31] He was again named a top doctor by the publication in 2019. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayo Clinic</span> American academic medical center

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 7,300 physicians and scientists, along with another 66,000 administrative and allied health staff, across three major campuses: Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. The practice specializes in treating difficult cases through tertiary care and destination medicine. It is home to the top-15 ranked Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in addition to many of the highest regarded residency education programs in the United States. It spends over $660 million a year on research and has more than 3,000 full-time research personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primary care</span> Day-to-day health care given by a health care provider

Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care that the patient may need. Patients commonly receive primary care from professionals such as a primary care physician, a physician assistant, a physical therapist, or a nurse practitioner. In some localities, such a professional may be a registered nurse, a pharmacist, a clinical officer, or an Ayurvedic or other traditional medicine professional. Depending on the nature of the health condition, patients may then be referred for secondary or tertiary care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical examination</span> Process by which a medical professional investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease

In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally consists of a series of questions about the patient's medical history followed by an examination based on the reported symptoms. Together, the medical history and the physical examination help to determine a diagnosis and devise the treatment plan. These data then become part of the medical record.

An e-patient is a health consumer who participates fully in his/her medical care, primarily by gathering information about medical conditions that impact them and their families, using the Internet and other digital tools. The term encompasses those who seek guidance for their own ailments and the friends and family members who go online on their behalf. E-patients report two effects of their health research: "better health information and services, and different, but not always better, relationships with their doctors."

Adventist Health Columbia Gorge is a hospital complex in The Dalles, Oregon, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health 2.0</span>

"Health 2.0" is a term introduced in the mid-2000s, as the subset of health care technologies mirroring the wider Web 2.0 movement. It has been defined variously as including social media, user-generated content, and cloud-based and mobile technologies. Some Health 2.0 proponents see these technologies as empowering patients to have greater control over their own health care and diminishing medical paternalism. Critics of the technologies have expressed concerns about possible misinformation and violations of patient privacy.

Steven Knope is an American internist and the author of two medical-related books. He practices medicine at The Knope Clinic, which he founded, in Tucson, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave deBronkart</span>

Richard Davies deBronkart Jr, widely known as e-Patient Dave, is a cancer patient and blogger who, in 2009, became a noted activist for healthcare transformation through participatory medicine and personal health data rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert M. Wachter</span> American physician

Robert M. "Bob" Wachter is an academic physician and author. He is on the faculty of University of California, San Francisco, where he is chairman of the Department of Medicine, the Lynne and Marc Benioff Endowed Chair in Hospital Medicine, and the Holly Smith Distinguished Professor in Science and Medicine. He is generally regarded as the academic leader of the hospitalist movement, the fastest growing specialty in the history of modern medicine. He and a colleague, Lee Goldman, are known for coining the term "hospitalist" in a 1996 New England Journal of Medicine article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gorski</span> Science-based medicine advocate

David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He specializes in breast cancer surgery at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Gorski is an outspoken skeptic and critic of alternative medicine and the anti-vaccination movement. A prolific blogger, he writes as Orac at Respectful Insolence, and as himself at Science-Based Medicine where he is the managing editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zubin Damania</span> Physician, businessman, internet celebrity

Zubin Damania is an American physician, assistant professor, comedian, internet personality, and musician. He also has been writing and performing comedic raps as ZDoggMD, an internet celebrity known for his music videos, parodies, and comedy sketches about medical issues, as well as systemic issues with healthcare.

North Valley Hospital is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit general medicine and surgical Critical Access Hospital located in Whitefish, Montana. It is a state-designated community trauma center that serves Whitefish and the broader community of Flathead and Lincoln County. The hospital's chief executive officer is Kevin Abel, and it is affiliated with Kalispell Regional Healthcare. It is a member of the Planetree Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Sue Swanson</span> American physician

Wendy Sue Swanson is an American pediatrician, educator and author, known for her Seattle Mama Doc blog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Brown (author)</span> American clinical nurse and author

Theresa Brown, PhD, BSN, RN, is an American clinical nurse, frequent contributor to The New York Times and author. New York Times columnist for Bedside from 2012 to 2015, she was previously a contributor to the Times blog "Well". Her first book, Critical Care, was published in 2010 by Harper Studio, an imprint of HarperCollins,. Her second book, The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives, was published in 2015, published by Algonquin Books and was a New York Times Bestseller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Choo</span> Emergency physician and professor

Esther Choo is an emergency physician and professor at the Oregon Health & Science University. She is a popular science communicator who has used social media to talk about racism and sexism in healthcare. She was the president of the Academy of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine and is a member of the American Association of Women Emergency Physicians. She was a co-founder and a board member of Time's Up. On February 26, 2021, Choo was named in a lawsuit against OHSU alleging that Choo failed to take action when she was made aware of an alleged sexual assault involving Dr. Jason Campbell, who became popular on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pamela Wible is an American physician and activist who promotes community-designed medical clinics; she also maintains a suicide prevention hotline for medical doctors and medical students. Wible is based in Eugene, Oregon.

Valerie A. Fitzhugh is an American pathologist and Associate Professor of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as well as an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She is the Chair of the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers and the Chair at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as well. Fitzhugh specializes in bone and soft tissue pathology and cytopathology and has made the Pathology Power List by The Pathologist Magazine in 2016, 2018, and 2019. She is involved in educating pathology residents and she actively uses social media as a platform for education and for improving diversity in pathology and she also studies how effective social media is at enhancing accurate communication of science and medicine.

Rebekah D. Fenton is an American pediatrician and adolescent health advocate. Fenton is an Adolescent Medicine Fellow in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Lurie Children's Hospital at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Fenton's clinical work is centered around providing healthcare for marginalized youth populations with a focus on cultural humility and health equity. After the police murder of George Floyd, Fenton provided medical care to protestors and has created virtual grieving spaces for Black and brown people in her medical community. As an avid writer, Fenton uses writing as a platform for advocacy to communicate topics such as public health, adolescent medicine, and diversity in medicine.

Sheritta A. Strong is an American adult psychiatrist and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Strong is a leader in education and advocacy at UNMC, and is the co-director of Medical Student Education in the Department of Psychiatry as well as the Interim Director for Inclusion at UNMC. As a psychiatrist, Strong focuses her clinical attention on treating patients with chronic and persistent mental illness. She is also dedicated to reducing barriers to healthcare access for marginalized populations and she mentors underrepresented scientists and physicians to increase their retention in healthcare. In 2018, Strong was awarded the Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D., Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and in 2020 Strong became a Distinguished Fellow of the APA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Edwards</span> Ugandan American medical doctor

Ivan EdwardsFRSA is an American doctor, of Ugandan-European heritage, a former pastor, and a US Air Force Reserve flight surgeon, currently serving at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was involved in a community activist role in a neighborhood of Nashua, New Hampshire, and later organized a movement that opposed the sale of a historic cemetery in Uganda. He participates in public speaking. He is CEO and founder of Jovana Rehabilitation Medicine & Pain and IEME LLC, both located in San Antonio, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pollock, Chelsey. "Dr. Kevin Pho harnesses the power of social media to practice medicine", New Hampshire Union Leader , Manchester, 1 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 Parks, Troy (12 June 2016). "Physician behind KevinMD reveals how to leverage social media". AMA Wire. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Soloman, Susan (2014). Thielst, Christina (ed.). Applying Social Medica Technologies in Healthcare Environments. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. p. 27. ISBN   978-1-938904-68-4.
  4. Kennedy, Deirdre (13 March 2008). "Doctor Blogs Raise Concerns About Patient Privacy". NPR . Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  5. Kaldy, Joanne (October 2013). "Social Media: Is Practitioner Posting Problematic?". Caring for the Ages. 14 (10): 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.carage.2013.09.001.
  6. Kylstra, Carolyn (22 December 2014). "11 Ways To Spot Bogus Headlines About Your Health". BuzzFeed . Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  7. Hawryluk, Markian (8 July 2015). "Did a doctor really puncture a vena cava as a teaching moment?". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  8. Brassington, Lain (10 July 2015). "Bad Surgeons and Good Faith". BMJ Blogs. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  9. Oransky, Ivan (9 July 2015). "A Retracted Story About the OR Raises Questions". MedPage Today. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  10. World Congress Website. "Speaker Biography." Accessed Mar. 15, 2013
  11. "2018 Annual Conference Keynote and Plenary Speakers". aspr.org. Association of Staff Physician Recruiters.
  12. "South Annual Conference". pri-med.com. Pri Med.
  13. "Keynote Speakers". aoassn.org. The American Orthopaedic Association. Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  14. "Kevin Pho, MD, Named Keynote Speaker at Painweek 2011". painweek.org. the National Conference on Pain for Frontline Practitioners.
  15. "WSMA 2016 Annual Meeting: Book signing with Dr. Kevin Pho; delegate handbook now available". wsma.org. WSMA. Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  16. "Prepare to be Inspired by Keynotes at the Planetree International Conference on Patient-Centered Care". planetree.org. Planetree. Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  17. "The Pathologists' Meeting". thepathologistsmeeting.org. College of American Pathologists. Archived from the original on 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  18. USA Today website. "Opinion Columnists." Accessed Mar. 15, 2013
  19. Pho, Kevin. “Despite flaws, health care law is still needed.” CNN. Mar. 26, 2012
  20. Pho, Kevin. "Over 75? No PSA." The New York Times. June 15, 2012
  21. Pho, Kevin. "Rejection Would Hurt Uninsured and Elderly." The New York Times. June 17, 2012
  22. Chen, Pauline W. (21 March 2013). "Doctors and Their Online Reputation". The New York Times . Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  23. Ruiz, Rebecca. "Must-Read Health Blogs", Forbes , 07 October 2009. Retrieved on 2011-9-20.
  24. Sutter, John D. "Follow Friday: Health care reform on Twitter", "CNN", 16 October 2009. Retrieved on 2011-9-20.
  25. Srinivas, Siri (19 February 2015). "Ten super-smart health Twitter feeds to follow now". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  26. Branswell, Helen (30 December 2015). "18 must-follow Twitter accounts about health and medicine". STAT. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  27. Weiner, John (4 March 2015). "A personal reflection on social media in medicine: I stand, no wiser than before". International Review of Psychiatry. 27 (2): 155–160. doi: 10.3109/09540261.2015.1015503 . ISSN   0954-0261. PMID   25847332.
  28. Butcher, Lola (January 2010). "Oncologists Using Twitter to Advance Cancer Knowledge". Oncology Times. 32 (1): 8. doi: 10.1097/01.COT.0000366137.51963.75 .
  29. Charest, Bob. "Meet the NH's Best and Brightest." New Hampshire Union Leader. Feb. 1, 2010
  30. Glenn, Brandon. “Who are Klout's Top 10 healthcare social media ‘influencers’?” MedCity News. Jan. 6, 2012
  31. "St. Joseph Hospital Recognizes and Congratulates Our 'TOP DOCS'". stjosephhospital.com. St. Joseph Hospital. 5 June 2023.
  32. "2019 Top Doctors". New Hampshire Magazine.