MHP Group’s Digital and Health teams and analytics partner DeepSeer collaborated to create ‘How influencers are reshaping health communications’ – a guide to the 23 top health influencers across 5 critical health areas; cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, mental health and women’s health.

Outlining three critical influencer roles – megaphone (scale), micro (depth) and maven (expertise) – on health campaigns, the research highlights the key role health influencers now play.

The Health Influence 23 list includes well-known names from across the heath space, such as Dr Alex George, the UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador, and Claire Murdoch CBE, NHS England’s National Mental Health Director, through to more unconventional voices in the health space, such as actor Gemma Atkinson, ambassador for The British Heart Foundation. It also includes those highly influential expert voices, such as Professor James Chalmers, Asthma and Lung UK Chair of Respiratory Research at the University of Dundee.

It also found that whilst discussions around health disparities and overcoming health inequalities are progressing at a pace at national policy level, health influencers from ethnic minority communities in the UK are relatively scarce – a gap that may exacerbate health inequality and gaps in health information.

Commenting on the research, Jaber Mohamed, Health Communications Specialist, MHP Group explained:

“The impact of influencers on the public health conversation is growing exponentially. We only have to reflect back on how governments employed influencers during the COVID-19 pandemic to note this catalytic point in the evolution of social influencers in public health.”

“But as the influencer opportunity grows, so do its nuances and breadth. Reach is no longer the only metric. Audiences are adept at filtering content, so it’s about working with the right people to access your audience, quality (and compliant) messaging; and engaging content.”

Kerry Sclater, Digital Health Analyst, MHP Group, added:

“With the growing omnipresence of social, and nearly half our population using social media for news, identifying the most effective ambassadors and advocates has never been more essential.

Even highly regulated industries like pharmaceuticals are embracing the power of influencers, so now is the time for all players in health to quickly map the opportunities influencers present, from better understanding patient issues to activating powerful campaign content.”

Download How influencers are reshaping health communications’ guide here.