Staff Spotlight: Laksman Veeravagu

It’s been said that “Stanford” is synonymous with “research.” It's no wonder with the university being home to 20 living Nobel laureates and a budget of almost $2B. The Department of Surgery alone is within the top 10 most-funded departments by the National Institutes of Health.

But that’s all science-y bench work and economics. It certainly doesn’t include pedestrian things like social media or extend beyond the faculty labs, right? Wrong.

Last month, Laksman Veeravagu, a staffer in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, was an author on a peer-reviewed study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

“Harvard Plastic Surgery Program Director Kyle Eberlin reached out to our Program Director, Dr. Paige M. Fox, to see if we wanted to participate in a study on Plastic Surgery Residency Program Instagram accounts,” said Veeravagu. “She asked me, and I was thrilled to be a part of the effort, as we knew first-hand how social media was impacting recruitment. It was an opportunity to share those insights with the plastic surgery community and other programs."

“Are All Posts Created Equal? A Review of Academic Plastic Surgery Residency Programs’ Social Media Engagement Statistics” looked at which types of Instagram posts garnered the most engagement.  Veeravagu collected data for the study on the popularity of the different types of posts going back all the way to their first, published in 2017. That was the year, Veeravagu says, that Instagram started gaining steam in the PRS community with everyone from small private practices all the way up to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons creating accounts.

“The platform’s visual nature really lent itself to the specialty and quickly became a fan favorite,” said Veeravagu. “Many of our alumni are also on the platform, and it’s a great way for them to see what’s going on with the program and continue to engage with us.”

Veeravagu says the study also helped bring awareness to the division’s faculty that social media was an important marketing touchpoint when it came to recruitment, particularly post-pandemic.

“It is possible that all our incoming interns will have learned about our program from Instagram,” said Veeravagu. “It’s a great way to show what life is like as a Stanford Plastic Surgery resident.”

Although he enjoyed studying the growth of popular social networking startups and has a background in web design, Veeravagu never imagined himself using those skills at an academic medical center. Veeravagu moved to Silicon Valley after graduating from the University of Texas, Austin with dreams of starting his own company. He said he applied to an Administrative Associate position at Stanford while figuring out how to make his mark on the tech ecosystem.

“What I found was an incredibly supportive community, an opportunity to start something brand new, and a chance to grow as an individual. I am proud to call Stanford Surgery home,” said Veeravagu.

Now as a Digital Community and Social Media Specialist, Veeravagu spends a majority of his time thinking about how the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery represents itself online from the website and social media to live webinars, graphic design, and video.

“The plastic surgery community on Instagram—it’s definitely a phenomenon and something that can continue to be studied, said Veeravagu. “I’m truly grateful to be able to spend my time working on something I’m passionate about.”