Social Media as a Key to Connection
This Blog post represents a partnership between the Women in Medicine Summit and Healio Women in Oncology. An excerpt appears blow, and please find the full length piece at Healio’s Women in Oncology Blog
Author: Mya L. Roberson, PhD
I often hear, “Hey, I know you from Twitter!” as I turn on my heels to identify the source. A variation of this exclamation has become commonplace at scientific conferences. Particularly in a time characterized by so much distance, the use of social media can be helpful for connecting with new areas of scholarship, fellow scientists and the people most affected by the work we do.
As a cancer care delivery scientist, I find social media an invaluable source of information and connection with people living with cancer. Many patient-led organizations curate incredible content that benefits those of us connected to oncology to read and engage with. The substantial social media presence of patient-led organizations enables us to maintain a pulse on issues that matter to people living with cancer.
For me, social media connections with patient advocates have even led to patient-partnered research projects. Through social media, I could form connections with people I may have never encountered otherwise. These outlets provide an opportunity to expand who we know and remain grounded in what matters.
Beyond connection with people affected by cancer, social media also provides us with a unique opportunity to share our science. What better way to test our communication skills than to distill our main messages into 280 characters — including spaces! The inherent size constraints of apps like Twitter force us to be as concise and clear as possible to communicate important messages.
About the author: Mya L. Roberson, PhD, is assistant professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a member of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Twitter: @MyaLRoberson.
