OB-GYN Influencer: How Doctors Can Find Their Social Media Voice and Fight Wellness Misinformation w/ Dr. Fran

Key Podcast Moments

• Fran describes the exact moment she posted her first TikTok correcting “pump and dump” misinformation and realized how large the education gap had become
• She explains why 10–15 minute visits are structurally incapable of delivering the education patients are searching for online
• Fran openly shares that her social media income has surpassed her clinical income, forcing a hard conversation about the economics of medicine
• She argues that physicians cannot afford to abandon digital spaces because “this is where our patients are”

When a practicing OB-GYN earns more correcting misinformation online than delivering babies, it should make every physician pause. In this episode of How I Doctor, Dr. Franziska Haydanek - known to millions as Paging Dr. Fran - examines what that reality says about modern medicin. What began as a spontaneous video correcting breastfeeding misinformation during maternity leave has evolved into a parallel career in digital education. But the deeper story isn’t about virality, it’s about trust.

Fran argues that the migration of patients to TikTok is not a failure of patients. It’s a failure of time. Ten-minute visits leave little room for explaining differential diagnoses, ruling out worst-case scenarios, or walking through why a test wasn’t ordered. Patients leave with prescriptions but without understanding. When the education component of medicine disappears, the internet fills the void.

Nowhere is that void more volatile than in women’s health. OB-GYN sits at the intersection of religion, politics, and culture. From contraception to fertility to abortion access, misinformation is amplified not just by ignorance but by ideology. The wellness industry thrives in that ecosystem, offering certainty, simplicity, and affiliate links while physicians remain bound by ethical guardrails and evidence.

Yet Fran does not frame this as a hopeless fight. She sees momentum shifting. More physicians are entering digital spaces. More patients are learning to question grifters. And more doctors are realizing that professionalism does not require silence. Whether through TikTok, Substack, YouTube, or podcasting, the long tail of the internet allows physicians to find their tribe and rebuild trust at scale.

Thank you to our wonderful sponsor for supporting the podcast:

Sevaro is a physician-led telestroke and neurology company that delivers rapid virtual neuro coverage that’s reliable. Learn more at https://sevaro.com/

Top 4 Takeaways

This conversation isn’t just about social media—it’s about the future of professional identity in medicine. Here are the four biggest takeaways for physicians navigating the evolving information ecosystem.