"After my last promotion, my institution adopted new guidelines and criteria for incorporating social media into promotion. I understand several other academic institutions have taken similar approaches, and it is enlightening to learn that academic medicine is evolving to match the current state of medical education. I encourage anyone considering promotion to become familiar with your institution’s criteria and consider how to leverage that with your work. I also encourage you not to discount the work you do on social media and consider how you can translate into more traditional checkboxes such as teaching, advocacy, and national reputation.

Social media has fundamentally changed how the world receives information. Science, medical expertise, and fundamental facts are under constant assault. Thousands of medical professionals are engaged online and interacting in positive ways to help combat misinformation. It’s time for this important work to be recognized and rewarded by academic institutions. Good luck, colleagues, and please feel free to reach out on social media if I can help in any way."

David R. Stukus is a pediatric allergist and can be reached on Twitter @AllergyKidsDoc.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How I used social media to get promoted to professor." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/07/how-i-used-social-media-to-get-promoted-to-professor.html)