From empowering medical professionals to combat health misinformation to helping them connect with patients through reels and relatable storytelling, Dr. Mani Pavitra’s mission isn’t to create influencers — it’s to build credible, compassionate voices in the digital health space. In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, she opens up about Clinic to Camera, her groundbreaking initiative and India’s first video boot camp designed to help doctors overcome digital hesitation and step confidently in front of the camera
Highlighted quote: Our desi parents forward more WhatsApp reels than real science. People are self-medicating based on viral videos. Even something as simple as fever or acidity is turned into a life-threatening crisis because of the way it’s presented online
Tejal Sinha
They save lives, work relentless hours, and offer care that transforms — yet most doctors remain invisible online. In a world where health misinformation travels faster than truth, and patients turn to reels before reaching a clinic, why aren’t real experts leading the conversation?
Dr. Mani Pavitra, an orthodontist turned digital mentor, is changing that with Clinic to Camera — a groundbreaking video boot camp empowering doctors to step in front of the camera, share their expertise and build trust in the digital age.
The turning point came in 2016, during her work with a natural birthing centre in Hyderabad. One day, a heavily pregnant woman travelled from Adilabad to Hyderabad, taking three different public buses just to reach the centre and meet Dr. Mani and her partner, Dr. Jayanthi Reddy. The woman was in her ninth month and still made the effort, desperate for guidance. “It shook me,” recalls Dr. Mani. “Just because the right information wasn’t available, she had to travel in that condition. That was the moment I decided — I want to help one million mothers.”
Driven by this conviction, Dr. Mani started a YouTube channel. She assumed the process of reaching a million people would take her a lifetime. After all, most doctors barely find time beyond their clinics and conferences. But what she expected to be a long road turned into an overwhelming digital journey — within a year, her content had already reached over a million people, and in less than three years, she had crossed four million. “That’s the power of content,” she says.
This realisation — that impactful, reliable health communication could go viral and save lives — sparked her larger mission. But along the way, she saw something else too. Misinformation was everywhere. “Why is it that false information spreads faster than facts? It’s because only a handful of real experts are posting online. Less than five percent of highly educated doctors are creating content. And out of that, maybe one percent are speaking in simple, understandable language,” she explains.
As misinformation grew, so did Dr. Mani’s resolve. She had worked hard to reach people — and seen first-hand how digital platforms could transform lives. She also realised something fundamental: the internet is flooded with people who are not qualified to speak about health, but do it anyway. And in this flood of content, genuine medical voices are often drowned out. “Our desi parents forward more WhatsApp reels than real science,” she says with a wry smile. “People are self-medicating based on viral videos. Even something as simple as fever or acidity is turned into a life-threatening crisis because of the way it’s presented online.”
She believes a single video from a trusted doctor can do what medicine sometimes cannot — reassure and guide people before they ever set foot in a clinic. But most doctors, especially specialists, are hesitant to take that leap.
That’s where “Clinic to Camera” steps in. The idea of the boot camp is simple, yet transformative. It is designed to tackle the very barriers that stop doctors from becoming visible — the fear of the camera, the lack of time, and not knowing what to say or how to say it. “Most doctors don’t know how to speak online because they’ve never had to,” says Dr. Mani. “They’re brilliant at treating patients, but the digital space is unfamiliar territory.”
Initially, even she struggled with language and tone. “When I first began making videos, I was speaking in jargon. Then I started getting questions from viewers. I realised that I needed to simplify. The idea wasn’t to show off my expertise, but to make myself approachable. A doctor’s strength is not just their skill — it’s how safe they make the patient feel.”
The boot camp, held at Creatorwerse Studio in Hyderabad, compresses months’ worth of training into just two and a half focused days. The first cohort saw 20 doctors from across India — aged between 35 and 55, with over a decade of experience each — come together for intensive training. These included oncologists, IVF specialists, urologists, paediatric surgeons, and plastic surgeons.
The feedback was overwhelming — and so has been the demand. The upcoming boot camps in August and September are already sold out. “One participant told us, ‘If you’re not online, you’re dead offline,’” says Dr. Mani. “Another said they lost out on an award because they had no digital footprint. Patients themselves have started saying — I Googled you before booking my appointment.”
The boot camp teaches everything from camera confidence to content creation. Participants learn how to shoot high-quality videos using their own phones, understand the basics of lighting and sound, and most importantly, how to speak to the public with authenticity and compassion. “We encourage them to talk about commonly searched topics, bust the biggest myths in their field, and share personal experiences in their own mother tongue,” says Dr. Mani.
She strongly believes that speaking in regional languages is key to making a real difference. “Doctors often feel the need to speak in English, but when they speak in Telugu or Tamil or Hindi, they reach four times more people. A doctor in their clinic might treat 100 patients a day. But a single video in a local language can reach millions.”
She also shares how much of the online content today is western-centric. “The books we study, the online health videos — most are made for a Western audience. But Indian doctors have insights and wisdom that are deeply rooted in our culture and conditions. Why aren’t we documenting that?”
The story rooms at Creatorwerse are designed with doctors in mind. They replicate a clinic-like setting so that the videos feel familiar and professional. “Every detail matters — what the doctor wears, their expression, how they simplify complex terms. We guide them through it all,” she explains. “Our goal is to make expertise visible. Not hidden behind hospital walls.”
Transformation, she says, has been incredible. “There were doctors who spent 10–15 years wanting to create content, but never got around to it. In just two days with us, they created what they hadn’t in a decade. Many didn’t even know how to use their phones beyond WhatsApp or calls. Now, they’re creating valuable content on their own.”
Dr. Mani believes every doctor has a duty to show up. “You cracked the toughest medical exams. You spent years training. You don’t need filters or flashy sets. What the world needs is your presence. Be the voice that builds trust. Be the face that reassures someone who’s scared and scrolling.”
She urges doctors not to confuse silence with humility. “It’s not humility anymore. It’s a missed opportunity.”
For those worried about balancing ethics and engagement, she offers a clear path. “You’re not an influencer. Don’t try to be one. Just speak kindly. Speak clearly. Speak in your language. People want guidance from someone professional and trustworthy.”
At its core, Clinic to Camera is about service, not sales. A simple reel on “What is PCOS?” or “Five signs of a heart attack” can build familiarity and help patients make informed decisions before they even walk into a clinic. It’s a powerful form of digital caregiving.
Dr. Mani has big plans. She’s working to expand the model and set up ‘Clinic to Camera’ centres in Mumbai and Bangalore by the end of the year, each requiring around 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of space.
For her, success is simple — it’s not measured in followers or likes, but in lives touched. She dreams of a future where every video a patient watches online is made by a real doctor. “Communication is care,” she says. “And if we can get even one doctor to speak up, in their own voice, in their own language — we’re already saving lives.”
