Apple Recruits Viral YouTube Doctor Mike Evans to Spearhead Home Health Innovation
According to VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat), Apple has recently recruited influencer physician Mike Evans, who runs the self-media video channel “DocMikeEvans” on YouTube.
Just how popular is Mike Evans? On YouTube, many viewers affectionately compare him to Horace Slughorn, the Potions professor from Harry Potter.
Mike Evan's TED Talk
From a professional standpoint, he is the founder of the Healthy Living Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a practicing physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, the university’s affiliated teaching hospital. He also established a medical school program at the University of Toronto focused on public health. This profile differs somewhat from Apple’s typical recruitment of tech industry heavyweights.
Of course, Mike Evan is hardly an obscure figure. In the field of public health informatics, he is undoubtedly a disruptor. The Healthy Lifestyle Lab he founded does not feature conventional white-coated nurses or medical equipment; instead, it brings together a large team of directors, designers, patients, and social media communication experts. They have creatively pioneered real-time, improvisational interviews with cancer patients, disseminating this content to the public through currently popular formats such as micro-films, infographics, new health media, websites, and even mobile applications.
His whiteboard-style, engaging science communication lectures under the name DocMikeEvans have garnered over 10 million views in total on YouTube, with individual videos reaching up to 5 million views. The topics address health concerns most relevant to everyday consumers, such as “The Science of Happiness” and “The Saliva Spat Over Gene Sequencing.” Mike Evans has also been a featured guest on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Fresh Air program. Among his more notable projects are the “Better Lifestyle” crowdfunding initiative and the 23 1/2 Minutes Club. His videos have been widely disseminated through platforms and publications including JAMA, The Walrus, and Netflix.
DocMikeEvans: Viral Cartoon-Style Videos on YouTube
Based on these achievements, Mike Evan was named one of the Canadian Medical Association’s Top 10 Innovators and received the Gold Medal in Social Media Health Awards.
Specific details regarding Evans’ new role at Apple remain unclear; it is currently known only that he will be responsible for initiatives related to home health innovation. Evans had previously declined an offer from Apple. His interest in health applications, coupled with his expertise in novel media formats for health communication via video platforms, prompted Apple to extend another invitation, ultimately securing his joining the company.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Evans stated, “Apple values me for my innovations in the digital dissemination of medical information, but above all, for my capacity for innovation.”
Evans predicts that future applications will assist patients in disease diagnosis, medication management, and even dietary planning, thereby addressing the insufficiency of face-to-face communication between doctors and patients. “In the future, doctors will prescribe medications to patients through apps. By leveraging technologies such as Bluetooth to connect patients with their mobile phones, these apps will remind patients to take their medications on time.”
It is reasonable to surmise that Evans’ philosophy aligns closely with the vision of Apple’s HealthKit and CareKit platforms, which may have been the decisive factor in winning him over. The HealthKit platform is built upon iPhone—and even Apple Watch—applications that empower patients to proactively seek out smarter, more efficient approaches to health management.