Networking, connecting, and sharing information – social media vastly enhances our possibilities in these fields. Surgeon and media expert Julio Mayol already has more than 50,000 followers on Twitter. Together with him, we discuss the question of how science and research can achieve more visibility outside of professional circles.
Interview by Sarah Polzer
Dr. Mayol, when did you start collaborating with global surgery initiatives - and what motivated you to get in touch with COVIDSurg?
I have collaborated with global surgery initiatives for several years now and my motivation was to share knowledge in order to make surgical practice better and safer whenever and wherever needed.
What kind of research philosophy does COVIDSurg stand for?
The philosophy behind it is that complex problems cannot be tackled and solved in isolation. Human intelligence is enhanced through collaboration. I fully agree with this view.
So far, what has been achieved through COVIDSurg?
COVIDSurg has helped surgeons and healthcare managers to make decisions during the pandemic through the use of real world data. Its impact has been immediately seen because it has generated highly cited publications being used to inform decision makers globally.
In your opinion, how long will it take to deal with the pandemic?
It will take us several years to learn how to manage this. It is likely that the virus will never go away and stays with us very much like the flu.
What personal insights have you gained from the pandemic?
We are living creatures and nature outsmarts us. We need to be more kind to nature.
The work for the COVIDSurg team is partly done online - How much time do you invest in COVIDSurg?
COVIDSurg is led from Birmingham, connecting a global community. Personally, I do not devote specific time frames to COVIDSurg, however, much of my work, both online and offline, is related to support the collaboration.
While we are talking about online and offline : What role does social media play for you?
I use various social media platforms. Among them are Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. I think Twitter is the most effective. It is very immediate and easy for conversations.
Who is your target audience?
I don't have specific target groups, although my following consists mainly of health professionals.
Do you see social media as an opportunity to bring different parts of society together?
As any other human tool, it can work both ways. It is up to us how to take advantage of it.
Should any researcher or scientist use social media, or could it compromise a person's authority and credibility?
Knowledge dissemination is compulsory for scientists and researchers. We must be part of the online ecosystem if we want to send our messages out
What are you researching at the moment?
I am involved in projects related to social media and collective intelligence, machine and deep learning, and nanotechnology. These are exciting areas where new findings may transform and improve outcomes in healthcare.
How will surgery be changing in the future?
There will be more image-guided and less invasive procedures. Nanosurgery will become a reality. Robots will take care of less complicated maneuvers.
Surgery is still largely in human hands, literally. What would you advise your colleagues in case of a failed surgery?
Trust must be built from the very first contact. If things go wrong, honesty, transparency and compassion are key. Effective communication is of paramount importance to manage the situation.
Is there a particular case that has stuck in your mind in a special way?
There have been many, but the death of a friend who I operated on taught me a lot about life and death.
Were there any stations during your career that particularly shaped you?
Medical school was boring and frustrating to me. I disliked how we were educated and trained. Residency training was exciting because I had the opportunity to learn and to develop different skills in order to fix specific problems that mattered to patients.
Then I pursued further training at Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School and that transformed my perception of research and surgical practice. I developed self-efficiency and got engaged with a wonderful network of friends and colleagues. Since then, my professional life has been extraordinarily fruitful.
Was there a decisive point for you that made you devote yourself to become a surgeon?
When I was four years old, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor. It was a very simple desire for which I can find no explanation. I wanted to be a surgeon because I wanted to find out what was wrong under someone's skin and help fix it with my own hands, if possible. General surgery offered me a wider range of possibilities for that.