E5419. The 150 X-iest Radiologists: A Social Media Analysis of Radiology Influencers
Authors
Jacob Bleau;
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
Ethan Bent;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Anant Bhave;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Christopher Morris;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Geoffrey Scriver;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Joseph Shields;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Bill Majdalany;
University of Vermont Medical Center
Objective:
Social media is a powerful tool to disseminate knowledge and form networks. In the modern era, many physicians utilize X (formerly Twitter) as their primary professional social media platform. Ascertaining which physician users are the most influential has been the subject of inquiry in many specialties. A recent study assessed influencers within the realm of radiology, but the utilized methodology is no longer available after X ended its free application programming interface (API) access in February 2023. Additionally, the paper’s scope was not exclusive to physicians. With the emerging popularity and broadening scope of radiology in the context of a rapidly adapting landscape of social media, our aim is to perform a contemporary analysis of the most influential radiologists on X.
Materials and Methods:
Data was obtained via third-party platforms with access to X data. These platforms identify X users through keyword searches based on content shared, keywords in bios and posts, and profile statistics, and this real-time data is updated as frequently as every 7 days. However, these platforms do not internally rank a profile’s influence. Inclusion criteria were physician radiologist status, active content sharing in the last 3 months, and 50% or more radiology-related medical content. A total of 4,523 X users were identified. Included radiologists were then ranked by three individual metrics measuring reach, engagement, and propensity to disseminate information. Relative value scores were given to the top 150 radiologists in each category and totals were compiled with any tie resolved through analysis of originality of content, favoring more original content. Demographic information, practice type, affiliation, and academic h-index were gathered through publicly available resources.
Results:
Of the 150 most influential radiologists, 82% were men and 18% were women; 95% were attendings, 5% were in training; 65% were based in the United States and 35% were located internationally. The most common specialties practiced were interventional radiology (29%), general radiology (17%), and neuroradiology (14%). Of the most influential radiologists, 81% worked primarily at academic institutions with training programs. The academic institutions most represented in the top 150 are Emory, NYU, Mayo Clinic, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and UPenn. The most common locations for private practice influencers were Florida and North Carolina (each n = 3, 11%). The median h-index was 9.5 (SD 16.6), and h-index was not correlated with influence rank (Pearson correlation 0.02).
Conclusion:
Radiology and social media are constantly evolving, and understanding who the influencers are lends itself to not only understanding who to follow, but more importantly the type of content that is most widely distributed.
