The Presidential Advocate

How do you use social media in a professional capacity

I mainly use Twitter and also contribute to the College’s Facebook page, as well as having personal Facebook and Pinterest accounts. I write a blog for the College and have contributed to others’ blogs too.

I started my Twitter account several years ago to highlight the College’s public engagement activity. I used to tweet about events for the public, science communication training and tweet a few photos of my events.

Since I was elected President of the College last year my Twitter contributions have broadened to cover a wide range of pathology-related topics. So now, as well as public engagement, which remains dear to my heart, I tweet about health policy, pathology in the news and highlight what the College does on behalf of its members. I retweet a lot of health-related material from individuals and news websites, anything that I think people would be interested in. I enjoy following the progress of meetings on Twitter and always try to sit near the front so I can photograph the speakers to illustrate their key points. I tweet links to the College website with news, new guidelines and announcements such as the date of this year’s National Pathology Week, which has just been announced as November 2–8, 2015. I tweet links to pathology-related television and radio programmes, particularly ones with College input, so people can find them easily and watch or listen if they missed them first time round.

I’m the first (and only) College President to have my Twitter username on my College business cards.

Why do you use it?

Firstly, I enjoy it. It’s fun and I learn a lot. I love meeting people in real life after interacting with them on Twitter – people often come up to me at meetings and introduce themselves. Professionally it helps me keep up to date with what’s happening in healthcare. I don’t have time to scour all the news websites so rely on Twitter to keep me updated on what’s in the news. There’s a huge amount related to pathology but people might not recognize it as such – I like to highlight the pathologists’ contribution.

As President, social media is a great way to keep in touch with some of the College’s members. It allows easy, instant communication that’s much more accessible than many of the other methods the College uses. Our College Bulletin, which has news about what’s going on in pathology in the UK and abroad, is published every three months. Social media allows me to give updates about College activities several times a day.

I make some good contacts through social media and am often invited to speak or write for others’ publications, which helps spread the word about the importance of pathology even wider.

What are you particularly proud of?

I think my biggest achievement is communicating the importance of pathology to non-pathologists. The majority of my followers on Twitter are not medical. I try to give the story behind the news headlines – well, as much as I can in 140 characters! Social media also appeals to younger people, a group traditionally difficult to engage through more traditional methods of communication. It is essential that people understand how their lifestyle can influence their future health – social media is an easy way to do this.

Why should pathologists engage with social media?

It’s a great way for pathologists to engage with fellow pathologists around the world, to share opinions and ideas and work together for the benefit of patients. It also allows them to explain to the public what they do and why it’s important too. By debunking some of the myths about pathology and raising its profile with the public, everyone in the specialty benefits.

What would you say to the cynics?

I recognize that social media is not for everyone but I’d say, give it a go. You might be surprised how much you get out of it. The great thing about social media is that you can choose what you use and when you use it – you don’t have to be permanently glued to your mobile phone or laptop to enjoy the benefits.