By Ben Wokas, Senior Manager of Member Engagement & Experience, and Membership & Diversity Programs
In 2022 the Society partnered with DocMatter to launch a new online member community, but what is it? How does it work? What can you expect from it? This is your Endocrine Society DocMatter Community 101 to help you get the most out of this exciting new member benefit!
1. What is the Endocrine Society DocMatter member community?
The Endocrine Society DocMatter Community is a go-to space for a global community of endocrinology professionals to collaborate. Unlike other social media platforms, it is a community exclusively for Endocrine Society Member clinicians, researchers and advanced practitioners to share cases and discuss emerging therapies, new research, patient education, and more, from every major therapeutic and scientific pillar of endocrinology. Eight out of ten Endocrine Society Members engage with the Community, connecting with society peers and experts in their field, at least once every 90 days.
2. What is different from the previous Endocrine Society online community?
DocMatter is built specifically to support clinical case sharing, research, and peer-to-peer discussion. This member exclusive community combines technology and human-support to facilitate high-quality medical collaboration, including networking, mentorship, advocacy and clinical discussion, ensuring members are able to collaborate with peers and find and share the information that’s of most value to them.
What makes the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community different than anything out there is that it is directed by a group of Endocrine Society members who serve as advisors working with the DocMatter Team to help bring highly relevant content, and make sure every discussion receives expert input. In this past year there have been over 2 million discussion views, and 77% of those discussions have received a response from an expert member at the Endocrine Society.
3. How do I sign up for the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community?
Endocrine Society Members are automatically enrolled into this exclusive online community from the start of membership. Members can access and reply to discussions through email, the mobile app, or by logging in to DocMatter online. The DocMatter Team is also available to support every member, members can reach out if they ever need help with things like accessing the website, mobile app, or email list-serv system, or even for help drafting posts.
4. How do I get the most out of my Endocrine Society DocMatter Community?
There are numerous ways connect with the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community. A great way to get started is by reaching out directly to the DocMatter Team, who offer individualized support for every Endocrine Society member. Enjoy a walkthrough of the platform, the opportunity to filter or prioritize content specifically to your areas of interest, and even assistance in drafting and sharing posts.
Once you are familiar with the platform it’s time to connect! Log into the Community and weigh in on an ongoing discussion or start one of your own. Over the past year more than 16,000 Endocrine Society members from around the world have engaged in insightful and rewarding discussions on a multitude of topics, from common challenges in the management of specific diseases, to best practices and comparison of experiences around products, to sharing challenging cases and receiving expert input. Since launching last year, the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community has quickly become the go-to place to discuss clinical cases, research, basic science, and find mentor/mentee opportunities year-round.
Endocrine Society DocMatter Community Subgroups are also a fantastic avenue for connecting with the many groups within the Endocrine Society, including:
5. What’s next?
There are lots of exciting plans for the future of the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community! We have already begun our first major content expansion of the platform with the addition of the library of recorded SIG webinars. The arrival of these webinars in DocMatter enables members to participate in discussions around the webinar content and dialogue with the speakers well after the live event. We are similarly exploring ways to expand the discussions that tie into Endocrine Society podcasts as well.
As events happen throughout the year, the Community will also be the place to continue these conversations. Whether it’s the Annual Meeting, a SIG webinar, or an important piece of legislation that will impact the field of Endocrinology, the Endocrine Society DocMatter Community is the space to continue conversations and share your thoughts with your peers.