J. T. Madicus is best known as the author of Final Diagnosis: No Second Chances, the personality behind MedBuzzFeed and Future Doc House YouTube channels, and the chairman of QUPI. But a few years ago, he was a medical student struggling with a secret: He had an undiagnosed illness that was interfering with his ability to attend class and complete his studies.
When successive visits to doctors failed to diagnose the cause of the chronic pain and concentration issues that had plagued him for months, J. T. decided to use his medical knowledge to investigate his own health. This required absolute commitment. He put his studies on hold, and stopped at nothing until he found effective treatment. This process led him into the rabbit-hole of online medical “knowledge,” a confusing and contradictory world where it is increasingly hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
Anyone who has ever Googled a symptom knows that finding reliable health or medical information online is a formidable and frightening task. J. T. had the advantage of being an advanced medical student with a strong grasp of the science. He eventually solved the mystery, which is explained in dramatic form in his novel Final Diagnosis. But along the way, J. T. Madicus saw first-hand just how much misinformation exists in the world of medical knowledge.
With a global pandemic still raging and a catastrophic doctor shortage on the horizon, it is more important than ever that individuals can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. The stakes could not be higher. Always a passionate writer and captivating speaker, J. T. decided to lend his talents to help decipher medical knowledge for the general public.
The first step was the Future Doc House YouTube channel, where J. T’s entertaining lectures demystifying complex medical subjects garnered tens of thousands of views. In 2018, he authored the manifesto Is There a Doctor Aboard? An Urgent Call for Change in Medical Education and Government Policy that advocated for broad change in medical education in the United States.
Today, J. T. uses his literary talents to combine education with entertainment. The Final Diagnosis novel and film series explore real world medical challenges through a range of complex characters and fast-paced plots, while MedBuzzFeed presents the latest health news in entertaining, bite sized videos.
Making medical knowledge finally accessible to the general public has won J. T. Madicus many fans, but also a few enemies. He has seen several of his videos taken down from YouTube, labelled as “Fake News” when they merely sought to present the science in an entertaining manner. But despite the constant challenges, J. T. remains undeterred:
“A lot of people out there have a vested interest in keeping medical knowledge obscure. They want the public to be confused. They want medical knowledge to be confined to ginormous and dull textbooks. When you try to make it simple and entertaining – something that’s actually fun to learn about – you meet resistance from some powerful groups.”
The first episode of J. T. Madicus Final Diagnosis medical drama series, No Second Chances will be released later this year. It’s the culmination of a lifelong effort to make learning about medicine not only accessible, but also joyful: “I have always had a passion for the science of medicine. There is no reason why learning something important shouldn’t also be fun!”
For the General Public? For a Global Audience…