August 12 2017
By Neel Desai, M.D.
Dr. Mike Sevilla is a family physician (primary care physician) and social media enthusiast who lives in Salem, Ohio and works at the Family Practice Center of Salem and Salem Regional Medical Center. He has been at the Family Practice Center of Salem and Salem Regional Medical Center since 2001.
Dr. Sevilla’s social media role began in 2005–he was a physician social media pioneer in the creation of social media content at the time. He started blogging as an anonymous writer in 2006 with “The Doctor Anonymous” blog.
In 2011, he made the decision to “rebrand” himself and change from “The Doctor Anonymous” blog to the “Family Medicine Rocks” website. His goal at that time was to have a voice for family medicine topics for the general public and a potential place for family medicine /primary care physicians to share a dialogue. From the podium at the 2011 American Academy of Family Physicians Congress of Delegates meeting, then AAFP President Dr. Glen Stream declared that he was the “King of Family Medicine Social Media.”
In the summer of 2013, Dr. Sevilla decided to take a break from social media. After four weeks away from the internet, his website was rebranded “DrMikeSevilla.com.”
In 2015 two great events occurred for Dr. Sevilla. First, Dr. Sevilla participated in the second ever TedXYoungstown event–where he discussed social media and medicine. Second, he was bestowed the honor of being named a member of the External Advisory Board for the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media and its’ Social Media Health Network.
Dr. Sevilla’s dedication to family medicine, use of traditional as well as modern day digital media platforms–to educate the general and medical public and debunk pseudoscience–has earned him recognition as our Medical Influencer of the Week.
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