TikTok recognizes Minnesota doctor’s impact on others, names her No. 1 on ‘most impactful creators’ list

She’s known as the TikTok Doctor. Now, Dr. Rose Marie Leslie is being recognized by the social media platform for her impact on others.

Dr. Leslie made "The Year on TikTok: Top 100" list, ranking No. 1 in the "Voices of Change: Most impactful creators" category.

“I was really excited,” Dr. Leslie said. “I’m very passionate about health education and making sure that people understand their bodies, understand their health and they understand news related to health that’s going on in the world.”

She answers questions and posts informational videos about medicine while sharing the experiences of front line workers.

“This is something I enjoy doing, I love to do,” she said.

She’s a chief resident of family medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and sees patients at the North Memorial Health Clinic. She said she makes the videos on her lunch break, or once she finishes her long shifts.

It’s a way to have a conversation with Generation Z.

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“I think reaching young folks has been really an absolute must,” Dr. Leslie said. “They’re curious, they want to learn. I think they are a really important group of people who can drive the conversation related to COVID-19 help, talk with their family members about how to stay safe.”

She also wants to give a window into a physician’s life and normalize talking to your doctor as a friend.

“You don’t have to worry or get nervous when you’re going to the doctor,” Dr. Leslie said.

On its list, TikTok shared a video she did about the seriousness of the pandemic.

“I think it’s hard for people to know exactly what’s going on in hospitals and clinics,” she said. “My goal with some of the TikTok videos I make are to tell my story and the experience I have working at the hospital, seeing patients during this pandemic and the toll that it takes on myself and every other health care worker out there.”

Dr. Leslie hopes by doing so, she’ll inspire people to practice social distancing, wear masks and follow other guidelines.

She’s also trying to reduce the spread of medical misinformation by teaching followers how to judge sources and question what they see online.

“There is so much [misinformation] online right now,” she said. “A lot of it is really detailed and makes people really question a lot of other information they hear.”

A year and a half after launching the account, she has about 847,000 followers now and is reaching people across the globe.

“Twenty-five percent of my followers don’t live in the United States,” Dr. Leslie said. “That is really just such a cool thing about social media that you can learn from people that live across the globe and help come up with strategies to help improve your own community.”