The Mayo Clinic's YouTube channel recently reached a significant milestone, amassing over one million subscribers. The institution's chief marketing officer and medical practitioners have shared their insights on the success and positive influence of the channel.
Halena Gazelka, MD at Mayo Clinic, emphasized the importance of reliable health information. "At Mayo Clinic, we understand the critical importance of accurate health information," she said. "Our YouTube channel allows us to combat healthcare misinformation by providing trustworthy, evidence-based content to a wide audience."
In the 19th century, Dr. Charles Mayo and Dr. William Mayo founded the Mayo Clinic with a vision to establish a beacon of healing, hope, and innovation in healthcare. Their vision has been realized in ways they could only have dreamed of through the utilization of platforms like YouTube. In 2006, the Mayo Clinic launched its successful YouTube channel which has been growing steadily ever since. In 2021, it received accreditation from the National Academy of Medicine and recently exceeded one million subscribers - a testament to its widespread impact on public health education.
Sherri Gilligan, chief marketing officer for Mayo Clinic credited this success to internal collaboration across various teams within the organization. "This success of the Mayo Clinic YouTube channel would not be possible without the many contributions from internal teams across our entity — from content creators to videographers to clinical experts to research and beyond," Gilligan stated. She further noted that with more than 2 billion active users per month, YouTube provides an opportunity for creative collaboration in creating engaging content and sharing scientific and medical knowledge worldwide.
The clinic's YouTube channel covers a broad spectrum of topics ranging from reliable COVID-19 information to cancer content and treatments for ankle sprains. Gazelka reiterated that it is not just about sharing information but also about extending their mission to educate and empower individuals with reliable healthcare information.
Mayo Clinic doctors have expressed satisfaction at how their YouTube channel has grown and evolved. Brad Leibovich, M.D., medical director of the Center for Digital Health at Mayo Clinic, sees this milestone as a reflection of Mayo Clinic's history of innovation. "Achieving this YouTube milestone reflects Mayo Clinic's history of innovation," he said. "It is a reminder that people are looking to access healthcare in new ways. Through platforms such as YouTube, along with advancements in technology, including generative AI and large language models, we will continue to deliver digital solutions that connect people to the care and resources they need."
