As we approach our first anniversary in the blogosphere, it was fitting that our very own Dr. Kelly Cawcutt was invited to write a commentary on a recent publication in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology that explored the use of Twitter messaging at four major Infectious Diseases/Infection Control conferences worldwide.
Dr. Cawcutt’s commentary, entitled Twitter Me This—Can Social Media Revolutionize Academic Medicine? was published in December 2017 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. The articles reviewed the influence of Twitter on increasing public engagement in academic conferences, particularly in spreading the reach and impact of the conferences beyond just the attendees.
Our @unmc_id twitter account went live last fall at #IDweek2017, and we’ve been having a ball tweeting and retweeting. We were very active in the #USAAW2017 for the #beantibioticsaware campaign, and plan to continue ramping up our online presence.
Gone are the days where acquisition of medical knowledge was limited to hard copy journals, and if you missed a conference you missed the action altogether. Today, in the era of online access journals, Twitter, Facebook and podcasts, we can be at every conference, anywhere in the world; stay updated on current hot topics, and use hashtags to connect with others who have similar interests.
So can Social Media revolutionize Academic Medicine?
YES.
It’s time to join the revolution of #unmcid. Follow us on Twitter @unmc_id, and subscribe to our blog for more updates!