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Arguably the most followed doctor on social media, William Flanary, MD, is an ophthalmologist in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a global advocate, speaker, podcaster, and health educator. Known as “Dr. Glaucomflecken” to his six million social media followers, his often-humorous videos demystify medicine and educate the public on health policy. He has used his notoriety to become a trusted voice for many who might feel overwhelmed by the complexities of health care and to speak out about burnout and other once-taboo topics in medicine.

Flanary began this mission of socially “prescribing” laughs online when he was just two years into ophthalmology residency training. Ten years later, his patients still love the characters and the content he creates.  

“They like talking to me about the characters,” he says, “and they appreciate me adding a little levity to everything health care and advocacy.”  

While his comedy content grew in popularity, Flanary found himself wanting to make a difference for his fellow physicians and their patients. A staunch supporter of frontline health care workers, Flanary’s passion for advocacy shows in his work and the admiration of his Iowa peers, who praise his ability to blend comedy with poignant commentary on issues ranging from common inefficiencies and challenges within the health care system to physician burnout to health care ethics and equity.  

Flanary’s strategy for advocacy is simple.  

“I think we all underestimate the impact that social media can have when it comes to advocacy,” Flanary says. “It gets people engaged and energized in the advocacy process. It may not change the outcome, but at least people know what's going on in this community and realize how widespread some of these problems are.”

Recently, Flanary’s content drew the attention of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), who asked him to collaborate on social media videos focused on groundbreaking medical research.

He describes this work as "trying to trick people into learning things through comedy.” By interpreting publications with his signature style, he hopes to make research more accessible to the general public. All of the research he highlights is published by NEJM in a format openly accessible to the general public. The collaboration has broadened the reach of medical research, making work that affects people’s lives more understandable to non‑experts.

This kind of content is an evolution from the original intent of Dr. Glaucomflecken: showing that doctors are human and can make jokes, too.  

“This is a very serious job. To be able to give someone a laugh at the end of a long day — it means a lot to me,” he says.