YouTube success leads to Global Award for alumnus Dr Talha Sami

Published: 02 October 2024

Class of 2013 alumnus Dr Talha Sami recently received a Global Recognition Award. The award is in recognition of Dr Sami’s contributions to public health discussions which have encompassed traditional media but began on his personal YouTube channel.

On why he felt the need to start a YouTube channel, Talha says, “I began my YouTube channel during the Covid pandemic because I felt the voices of healthcare professionals were not being heard. In my opinion there needs to be direct explanations from a professional perspective to the public especially on public health issues which are permeating current culture and are hot topics.

“This work on YouTube was picked up by national media and formed the basis of my own future reporting. Consequently, I have written articles for local newspapers and spoken to national media on public health issues. However, we need to get to grips quickly with the fact that people are now getting information from social and alternative media. This needs to be recognised in the messaging of future healthcare prevention programs.

“Naturally it is very gratifying for one’s efforts to be acknowledged through receiving this Global Recognition Award, but it only emboldens me to speak further on these topics.”

On the advice he would give to emerging writers and professionals in the public health field, Talha, who founded health start-up Patient Compass based on his early public health discussions, adds, “I believe the primary purpose of public health discourse should always be based around moral, ethical and medical principles - these should take precedence. Perhaps this means that a topic cannot be sensationalised in the same way as other news items, but ultimately it will only serve us well.”

And on the advice he would give to today’s City St George’s students Talha says, “Be prepared for the tough graft. It is those years at George’s working in such a unique, dynamic hospital, and a vibrant, thriving and cosmopolitan community, that gave me a greater understanding of the healthcare needs of the British population.”