Created as the pandemic upended American medicine, the “AMA COVID-19 Update” show has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times on Facebook and YouTube and helped doctors and others cut through the noise and get the latest news they need on vaccines, variants and more—directly from experts and physician leaders.
Now, as the nation battles to put an end to the pandemic by immunizing as many people as possible, there’s a new video-and-podcast series called “AMA Moving Medicine.”
The new show—launched with an episode featuring AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, MD—expands beyond COVID-19 coverage to give physician leaders and health care innovators another way to tell their stories.
“We launched the ‘COVID-19 Update’ to raise the visibility of the many initiatives AMA had underway to help physicians, residents and medical students contend with the pandemic. But it evolved into a platform that also showcased and amplified the voices and experiences of front-line physicians, health care leaders and educators,” said Todd Unger, the AMA’s chief experience officer and host of the “AMA COVID-19 Update.”
“There is so much innovation happening right now to address problems that the pandemic laid bare, from telemedicine to public health to health equity. We need a broader format that can evolve as the pandemic does,” he said.
Covering the gamut in medicine
“AMA Moving Medicine” will evolve into a daily video and podcast focusing on key facets of the pandemic or highlighting innovation and the emerging issues that affect physicians and public health today.
Early episodes of “AMA Moving Medicine” show the breadth of material on offer, covering topics such as caring for Black LGBTQ+ patients, combating medical misinformation, the regulation of dietary supplements, and health equity and graduate medical education. The shows also are available day of broadcast on the AMA site and on the AMA YouTube channel.
“Video is just one of many channels” the AMA uses to reach physicians, medical students, policymakers and patients, Unger said. “We’ve seen significant traction as we expanded into podcasting.”
Listeners can subscribe today to the “AMA COVID-19 Update” podcast and the “AMA Moving Medicine” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or their favorite podcast-listening app.
The AMA also produces the “Prioritizing Equity” video series (YouTube playlist), usually hosted by AMA Chief Health Equity Officer Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH. The series illuminates how COVID-19 and other determinants of health uniquely impact marginalized communities, public health and health equity, with an eye on both short-term and long-term implications.
Telling stories that make a difference
“We want to provide physicians and medical students clear visibility into what the AMA is doing for them,” Unger said. “The work cuts across so many different areas—physician well-being, chronic disease, innovation, health equity.”
“Like with so many digital channels—it’s critical to combine science and data so that physicians can increase their influence and impact. There are so many other entities out there competing for that same attention and mind space,” he said. “That’s what I think a platform like this can provide.”
