Abstract 4187: Development of a virtual platform to improve global access to oncology education & combat healthcare inequities
Authors: Leyfman Yan , Wilkerson William B. , Pawar Shubhadarshini G. , Joshi Muskan , Menon Gayathri P. , Pai Pallavi , Jackewicz Sean , van de Kieft Alexandra , Park Chandler 
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Social media has emerged as a formidable outlet for medical information through its vast global reach of individuals of all educational levels and socioeconomic statuses but especially those in resource limited regions. However, misinformation has presented a universal challenge and contributed to adverse medical outcomes. MedNews Week, a virtual education platform, was developed to combat medical misinformation, especially within hematology-oncology, and contribute to global health education by providing the mainstream public with free access to its weekly programming. Keynote Conference is a weekly show featuring live presentations from hematology-oncology’s premier global leaders discussing the latest developments in their field before a global mainstream audience. The goal of this study was to assess the global reach and impact of MedNews Week’s programming.

Methods: From January to June 2022, MedNews Week hosted 22 global leaders (h-index = 60) as Keynote Speakers discussing the latest developments in oncology. Viewership, impressions, and outreach data was collected from MedNews Week's and its respective members’ social media accounts and with the help of Symplur, data was analyzed to provide insight on global reach and engagement. A mixed-method approach was used to analyze engagement.

Results: MedNews Week generated over 11.9K tweets, 5.7K retweets, and 41 million Twitter impressions over this six-month time period reaching over 54 countries. A network analysis of MedNews Week's main accounts demonstrated cross-community engagement on Twitter. Hashtags successfully showcased Keynote Conferences, expanded global audience viewership, and enhanced overall engagement. To estimate the level of incoming and outgoing communications between MedNews Week and our audience, we focused our analysis on the MedNews Week Twitter chat organizers (@yleyfman and @CParkMD) and supporting researcher (@ShimaghavimiMD). We identified these usernames on the network map. Not all other participants were identified. We have also noticed a steady increase in the number of attendees at Keynote Conference.

Conclusion: Given MedNews Week’s continued growth in global viewership and international reach, it has emerged as a viable platform to combat medical misinformation, especially in lower socioeconomic regions. Although internet access is one of the main barriers to high quality medical information, as technology involves and internet access becomes more widespread, the positive impact of medical education platforms like MedNews Week will continue to grow. The platform’s ability to showcase global leaders to a mainstream audience for free offers a practical approach to combat educational inequity. MedNews Week has the potential to positively impact global hematology-oncology education.

Citation Format: Yan Leyfman, William B. Wilkerson, Shubhadarshini G. Pawar, Muskan Joshi, Gayathri P. Menon, Pallavi Pai, Sean Jackewicz, Alexandra van de Kieft, Chandler Park. Development of a virtual platform to improve global access to oncology education & combat healthcare inequities. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4187.