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Palaniappan Manickam

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Dr. Pal

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Palaniappan Manickam (Dr. Pal)
Born
Madurai, India
Education
OccupationGastroenterologist
Known forMedia personality. ("MedCom")
Medical career
ProfessionMedical doctor, health advocate
FieldMedicine
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers3.02 million[1]
Total views1.02 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: April 2, 2024
Websitedrpalmanickam.com

Palaniappan Manickam, better known as Dr. Pal, is a board-certified gastroenterologist,[2] who is originally from India, and currently practices in California. He specializes in gut health, time-restricted eating, and a mostly plant-based diet. He is also a celebrity doctor who uses in-person and virtual stand-up comedy("MedCom”) to educate the general public on chronic illness intervention.

Manickam was born and raised in Madurai, India.[3][4][5] He received his MBBS from PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Coimbatore, India, his MPH from University of Massachusetts Boston, and his residency in Internal Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan.[6] He did his gastroenterology fellowship at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.[2]

Career

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Manickam is a gastroenterologist at a hospital in Sacramento, California.[3][5] He uses a form of stand-up comedy he calls “MedCom,”[7] on social media and in person in order to educate the public on gut health and chronic illness intervention.[5][4][8][9]

Manickam made his first video in March 2020[10] during the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that it "all started when an NGO got in touch with me saying they wanted a video for Covid awareness. I agreed and prepared a 10-minute script in four hours. They saw the video and wrote back to me saying this was very comical and that they wanted a professional video. I was gutted because I had spent a lot of time writing the jokes. They suggested I upload it to YouTube.”[9] Manickam followed through and created a YouTube channel, uploading the video. He then shared the video with a WhatsApp group that he belonged to, and the video went viral.[10] He subsequently developed his YouTube channel, and created channels on other social media outlets such as Instagram.[7]

While the initial content of his videos focused on COVID-19, it gradually shifted to gut-health,[7] time-restricted eating,[4] mostly plant-based diets,[11] and weight loss.[3] Manickam also began to study the genre of stand-up comedy, and invented the character "Saravana Kumar” as a means of connecting with his audience.[7] He eventually began to perform his “medcom” routines in live stand - up performances in the United States, India,[5][9] and Malaysia.[12]

Manickam says that his comedic videos and live performances are his form of giving back,[10] as all funds collected from his media outlets go towards Aishwaryam Trust, Madurai (a foundation which offers Palliative care).[8]

Honors

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In 2024, Rediff.com listed Manickam as one of “India’s Top Social Media Influencers.”[13]

Personal life

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Manickam and his wife Priya[10] live with their children in Sacramento, California.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About DrPal". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b "Dr. Palaniappan Manickam, MD". Doximity. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  3. ^ a b c Sunder, Kalpana (2023-11-05). "Losing belly fat, intermittent fasting for weight loss – doctor, YouTube star 'Dr Pal' uses humour to promote healthy living". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  4. ^ a b c James, Merin (2023-08-02). "Medcom: Dr Pal's unique prescription to bridge health, humour". DT Next. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  5. ^ a b c d Ramanujam, Srinivasa (2023-08-09). "Meet stand-up comedian Dr Pal, who combines medical information and comedy". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  6. ^ "About Dr. Pal". drpalmanickam.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  7. ^ a b c d Clarance, Daphne (2024-01-01). "How a doctor is proving laughter is the best medicine". India Today. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  8. ^ a b Rajagopal, Rashmi (2023-08-15). "Doctor uses 'med-comedy' to promote good health". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. ^ a b c Ahmed, Muskaan (2023-08-27). "The doctor with a funny bone". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  10. ^ a b c d "Indian doctor in US on a mission to reduce people's belly fat". The Times of India. 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  11. ^ Manickam, Palaniappan. "Dr Palaniappan Manickam's Post:This is the #1 root cause of obesity". linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  12. ^ Mani, Sowmya (2023-10-23). "A Doctor or a Standup Comedian? Dr Pal Manickam On Using Laughter As Medicine For Millions". thebetterindia.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  13. ^ Nair, Divya (2024-02-03). "India's Top Social Media Influencers". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  14. ^ TN Health Desk (2023-01-18). "Fatty Liver Disease: Gastroenterologist stresses on taking action". Times Now. Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
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