AANS Neurosurgeon

Twitter and Me – The Start Twitter became part of my life in August 2009. To start, I followed my husband and six friends; we shared jokes and local news. Eight years later, I'm connected to doctors all over the world. I've been retweeted by Atul Gawande, Nathan Fillion and Piers Morgan. I learn and teach, connect and communicate daily...

In an effort to keep up with some of the latest electronic communication systems, I have embraced social media in many of its various forms over the past few years. I was a rapid endorser of Facebook. At first, I used it for primarily personal reasons and for connectivity with my family and friends. However, as with other forms...

In an effort to keep up with some of the latest electronic communication systems, I have embraced social media in many of its various forms over the past few years. I was a rapid endorser of Facebook. At first, I used it for primarily personal reasons and for connectivity with my family and friends. However, as with other forms...

Like most other adults I know (and certainly all the doctors), I pretty much ignored the public debut of Facebook in 2006. Wasn’t that for college kids? But as more and more adults flocked to it, and when it was followed by a veritable tsunami of different social networking sites, it became clear that this new medium could not...

Is this the image you want patients, colleagues or employers to see of you? In this age of social media as a primary source of information, communication and marketing, it is essential to be tech savvy and capitalize on opportunities. However, it is also crucial to remember that the cyber world never forgets. Everything you say and do in...

Social media relies on personal networks to create narrow and focused ‘media’ broadcasts. Effective use of social media requires providing the right media to the most appropriate networks. As a professor and program leader at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), I have most frequently used three social media platforms to exchange unique sets of information important to our...

Facebook was really taking hold as THE social media platform during my residency, both of which began in 2004. I will admit that I was too busy, tired and overwhelmed to think about setting up a Facebook page at that time. It was just one more thing to have to maintain. It didn’t help that I also remember hearing...

Surgeons often work in a kyphotic posture. We explore a series of exercises that focus on maintaining good posture to counteract this occupational hazard. As surgeons, we spend much time in a kyphotic posture. Culprits include standing over a surgical site. In time, these poor habits lead to permanent changes in our posture and contributes to acute and...

Dr. Stan Pelofsky’s Hot Tip  Find a great opening line that works for you, then use it every time! Remember, the opening line only works if you let the patient answer. Getting the Right Diagnosis and Establishing Rapport My opening line when I first encounter a new patient is, “What’s a nice person like you doing in a place...

The Most Accessed Online Resources for Health-related Information Did You Know?   Social Media Edition   90 percent of respondents ages 18 to 24 said they would trust medical information shared by others on their social media networks 87 percent of physicians reported using social media for personal use; 67 percent used social media for professional purposes 60 percent of doctors say social media improves the...