00:00:00 Host Nate Crannell welcomes Dr. Dana Corriel, a board-certified Internal Medicine physician turned digital consultant and entrepreneur. Dr. Corriel created SoMeDocs (DoctorsOnSocialMedia.com) which connects companies and patients to real health experts and helps physicians build their brands. With over 40,000 followers, she is also a guest speaker, keynote, and healthcare panelist. Dr. Corriel shares her unique background, having earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from UCLA but choosing to attend Tel Aviv University in Israel for medical school due to her birthplace and cultural connections. The Israeli program was Americanized, allowing her to experience the best of both worlds and making it one of the most memorable experiences in her life.

00:05:00 Dr. Dana Corriel shares her unique journey of training as a doctor in Israel and later moving to the United States to continue her medical career. Despite the geographical difference, she and her husband both matched in lucrative programs in New York City and continued their residency in the traditional American system. Dr. Corriel maintains relationships with her friends and family in Israel and keeps in touch with them, especially during the recent challenges. The conversation then shifts to her decision to change her focus from attending physician to using her voice to create change in healthcare through social media. She explains that her unhappiness with the broken aspects of healthcare led her to take a break from medicine and discover new talents and hobbies. Upon returning to clinical practice, she realized that the issues in healthcare were getting worse, and she had already developed new skills that could be used to make an impact in a different way. Her evolution into social media activism was a gradual process, fueled by her desire to overcome the unhappiness and broken aspects of healthcare that she had experienced firsthand.

00:10:00 Dr. Dana Corriel discusses the feeling of being overwhelmed in medical practice and the importance of finding joy and balance. Dr. Corriel shares her experience of finding fulfillment in other areas after feeling buried during her medical training and practice. She emphasizes that the grind of medical work can be rewarding if one believes in what they do, but it's crucial for physicians to maintain their own well-being. They also touch upon the topic of ownership and control in healthcare, mentioning the difference between working for a hospital system and owning a private practice. Dr. Corriel believes that various models, such as direct care and concierge medicine, can help reduce the burden of middlemen and insurance companies in healthcare. However, she also acknowledges that legalities and paperwork are significant challenges in the field.

00:15:00 In this section, she discusses the upcoming Physicians Financial Summit in Chicago in 2024. Unlike typical financial events, attendees will not receive free dinners, but instead, they will gain access to the strategies that allowed Dr. Corriel to retire at the age of 33. The summit aims to simplify financial preparation for doctors and promises to change their lives. Dr. Corriel also reflects on the shift in healthcare, attributing it to smart entrepreneurs recognizing the potential wealth in owning doctors' practices and marginalizing physicians' decision-making power. She then shares her experience starting SoMeDocs in 2017, using her medical knowledge and social media skills to build a large following among doctors, who are typically reluctant to embrace social media. Dr. Corriel emphasizes the importance of owning one's identity and brand in today's world as part of taking back medicine.

00:20:00 Dr. Dana Corriel discusses the importance of doctors building an online identity and brand. She explains that this concept would not have made sense decades ago, but now it allows patients to follow their doctors and maintain continuity of care. Dr. Corriel argues that doctors should be the central figures in healthcare, rather than health systems, and emphasizes the importance of celebrating and promoting doctors as experts in their fields. She shares her belief that the healthcare system is broken when doctors are disrespected and unhealthy and uses Disneyland as an example of a business where everyone is happy and engaged.

00:25:00 Dana Corriel outlines the potential benefits of making the healthcare experience more positive for both doctors and patients. She compares the current healthcare environment to a unhappy and unproductive Disneyland, where doctors are not content and patients are frustrated. Dr. Corriel suggests that if doctors are happier and feel valued, the patient experience would improve significantly. She also mentions her personal experience as a patient and the anger and frustration often directed towards doctors, when in reality the root cause lies with the insurance companies and systemic issues. Dr. Corriel also talks about SoMeDocs, the platform she created to give doctors a voice, share their knowledge, and help more people on a broader scale. The goal of SoMeDocs is to promote the autonomy of individual doctors and was created to address the broken healthcare system.

00:30:00 In this section of the "Doctors on Social Media" podcast episode, Dr. Dana Corriel discusses her initiative, SoMeDocs, which aims to spread knowledge and tools to both doctors and patients at affordable prices. The platform includes interactive communities for doctors on social media, free membership for physicians in the US with active NPIs, and a paid membership for those seeking additional assistance. Dr. Corriel emphasizes the importance of doctors building their own brands and owning 100% of their intellectual property. She also highlights the need for business and marketing education for doctors, as many lack this background due to their medical training focus. The student section of SoMeDocs is an upcoming feature to address this need.

00:35:00 Dr. Dana Corriel discusses the importance of doctors building their own brands and using platforms like SoMeDocs to connect directly with patients and third parties. She emphasizes the need for doctors to have control over their own businesses and highlights the benefits of SoMeDocs’ free directory, which allows users to search for and contact medical professionals based on their specialty, location, and social media presence. The platform's filters enable users to narrow down their search results and find the right expert for their needs. Dr. Corriel also mentions the success stories of various users, including the Wall Street Journal and a startup, who have found advisors through the directory. Overall, SoMeDocs aims to empower doctors to showcase their expertise and connect with those seeking their advice.

00:40:00 Dr. Dana Corriel explains the unique aspects of the professional networking platform, SoMeDocs. Unlike other social media platforms, SoMeDocs has a team of humans verifying and optimizing profiles. Free members can build a profile and join a Facebook group, but must do so within the first 30 days or pay for a membership. Paid members join a more exclusive community, receive an onboarding consultation, and have access to various tools and resources for building their brand and business. SoMeDocs functions as more than just a social media platform, but as a tight-knit community where doctors help each other grow.

00:45:00 Dr. Dana Corriel discusses the business opportunities available on the social media platform, SoMeDocs. While it's not just for interaction, it's about what you do with that interaction and the brand you build. For physicians, it's a free and accessible platform with a magazine, newsletters, and advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Non-physicians, such as event organizers and companies, can also promote their services to the physician community. Dr. Corriel then shares her process for speaking in front of large crowds, especially large groups of physicians and healthcare leaders. She admits to having anxiety and hating public speaking but finds comfort in believing in herself and reminding herself that the audience is made up of humans like her. She also mentions that as an entrepreneur, she no longer feels the need to be perfect and can deliver her message imperfectly while still being the expert.

00:50:00 In this section, Dr. Dana Corriel discusses her experiences with receiving negative feedback, particularly from a Medscape article, when she announced her departure from clinical medicine to build a brand. She emphasizes that there will always be haters and negativity, but as long as one believes in what they do and has good intentions, they will succeed. Dr. Corriel also mentions the possibility of creating a medical device that allows people to experience each other's lives to help foster understanding and open-mindedness. Looking ahead to the future, she shares that the next project for SoMeDocs, which she founded, is the development of a student section and a new, innovative job portal for members to post job listings and fill positions in their practices.

00:55:00 Dr. Dana Corriel concludes with discussing the expansion of the professional networking platform, SoMeDocs. The platform, currently focused on medical doctors, will soon include directories for students and other healthcare professions. The goal is to provide transparency for third parties seeking experts for projects, with potential directories based on degrees. Dr. Corriel expresses excitement about the changes and the impact it will have on healthcare, and plans to continue building SoMeDocs in 2024.