ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A local physician is making a difference far beyond the walls of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
Dr. Meghan Martin is a pediatric emergency medicine physician, but you may recognize her as “@Beachgem10” on TikTok. She educates more than a million people on the app about everything from burn care to treating fevers in kids.
“I was bored, and like half of America, I got on TikTok and started making videos,” said Dr. Martin.
What started as an activity to entertain herself during the pandemic shutdowns in 2020 turned into a relatable way to educate anyone who scrolls.
“And also because I am a mom of four and I have four cats and because I have a messy house, I think that people related to that because nothing is perfect. It’s a hot mess,” said Dr. Martin.
While her videos cover mostly everything, there was one in particular that really took off about a young patient who had eaten a hamburger.
“It was a little bit of a mystery diagnosis in the beginning, but I think it is really relatable—we are coming into summertime. Everybody is outdoors and grilling,” said Dr. Martin.
It turns out a piece of a metal wire grill brush was in his hamburger and had gotten stuck in his throat.
Dr. Martin described the moment when they finally realized what was wrong with the child.
“It is the coolest thing when we saw the CT scan, and something was there,” said Dr Martin.
When asked what it’s like to know she is reaching more than a million people across the country, Dr. Martin said, “It is surreal. I am an introvert, and this is very contrary to my entire personality. But I feel like I am talking to my phone.”
“I think one of the important parts of my platform is being able to understand it—anybody, without a scientific background, without a medical background, anybody can take that information and process it,” she said.
If you would like to follow Dr. Martin on TikTok, click here.
