Social-media sensation Dr. Mike tells Press Club Headliners Dinner he can see 40 patients each day or millions online

Dr. Mikhail "Mike" Varshavski, a board-certified family-medicine physician, media personality, educator, writer, and philanthropist with more than 25,000,000 followers spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Dinner on May 30 saying he is looking to treat the increasingly contentious relationships between media and health by creating one video and having one honest conversation at a time, using humor and facts. “I can only see 40 patients a day…[on social media] I can see millions,” he said..

NPC President Mike Balsamo welcomed Dr. Mike as someone with a “genuine desire to improve lives” in a world that has moved past the COVID-19 pandemic, but is still reeling from “aftershocks in public health care and government administration that have eroded trust.” 

As a medical resident in 2017, Dr. Mike observed a lack of evidence-based professionals educating the general public on fundamentals in health and science, he said.

Dr. Mike remarked on recent headlines he had seen, one from ABC News, describing how your zodiac sign could impact your health: “not true in the least,” he said, and how so-called “miracle drugs” and “cold plunges” were cited as cures to conditions and diseases: “likely not the case,” he said.

“There was a vacuum,” Dr. Mike said. “Without anybody to fact check the mass amount of misinformation out there, even my own patients were falling victim.”

Nearly 60% of adults in the U.S. had used the Internet in the past year to look for health or medical information, according to a NCHS Data Brief. Despite patients’ curiosity and interest in learning, once-trusted sources of medical research, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, rarely see any engagement online, indicating a lack of trust from the public.

Dr. Mike put it bluntly that the fault lies with the Trump administration: “Snake oil salesmen run this country.” Earlier that same day, he published an Op-Ed with Fox News, demanding the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. immediately.

“Openly, repeatedly shared inaccurate statistics and usage of inaccurate science – including using metaphors to the Holocaust as a tie-in to vaccines – is scary to me and every doctor I work with,” said Dr. Mike. “[Secretary Kennedy] should not be in charge.” He urged senators and leadership in the medical industry to similarly call for the Kennedy's resignation. 

“We have multiple epidemics going on,” said Dr. Mike, referring to childhood obesity, sugar and addictions, drugs and more, “now compounded by fear of manipulation in research and [spread of] misinformation online. Public health should not be political – it’s clinical.”

Dr. Mike’s philosophy in building and rebuilding trust between doctors and patients focuses on sitting together and simply talking. He refutes Bill Gates’ recent statement, which declared that in 10 years, Artificial Intelligence would replace doctors. “Not true. It will help us better understand imaging, maybe improve note taking. But humans instinctively trust each other. Being a doctor means being there for your patients, not staring at a screen,” he said.

When Dr. Mike's shift at his family health care clinic finishes, his second shift in educating the public begins. He takes to the streets to answer general health-related questions people have, and sits in closed-door rooms with anti-vaxxers, listening to their concerns and taking hours to explain science and research that quells their fears.

“Fact-checking matters,” said Dr. Mike. “Some of the worst medical advice out there came from people claiming to be an expert instead of through tried and true research.”

The latest funding cuts at the National Institutes of Health and CDC will limit resources available to rural communities and add strain onto the hospital systems across the country, said Dr. Mike, citing the closing of 50 vaccine clinics in Dallas, alone in the recent weeks, and tens of thousands of children losing health care access. He said the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for International Development were once important partners to not just countries around the world, but to the U.S.. “When we protect the world from viruses and pandemics, we protect ourselves," he said.

Dr. Mike fears the burden put onto health care professionals will dissuade others from becoming doctors. “We fear judgement for not knowing…when we should be celebrating people, including doctors, who know their limits and want to research,” said Dr. Mike.

Online educators and social-media influencers are often villainized for making mistakes.

The internet, Dr. Mike said, is “changing elections, helping businesses succeed or fold, and affecting reputations of people.”

But none of it scares Dr, Mike. “I invite doctors and professionals to step into these spaces,” he said, explaining how he leaned into understanding communications, and is stepping up to be an example – and hopes others can do it better than he can.

“People inherently want to learn from a familiar face. If you’re a doctor, focus first on treating your community. Bring your niche knowledge online,” Dr. Mike said.

Staying in communication around the world and seeking common ground is in the best interests for everyone, Dr. Mike said.

Dr, Mike also admits to mistakes or when he doesn’t know something, and commits to researching more to thoroughly answer questions he is asked, both in and out of the clinic, solidifying trust with his audiences, he said.

An11-year-old audience member asked Dr. Mike, “What do you wish you knew when you first started this journey?” To which Dr. Mike said, “Before you do anything in life, you have to know yourself. But the only way to learn is to put yourself out of your comfort zone – otherwise, you will make decisions based on what others tell you about yourself. Be human first.”