Dr. Joel Bervell - Disruptive Hero

Episode 9 of the Less Than One Percent podcast, hosted by Imamu Tomlinson, MD, titled "Dr. Joel Bervell - Disruptive Hero" was published on July 18, 2025 and runs 73 minutes.

July 18, 2025 ·73m · Less Than One Percent

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Summary

Known across social platforms as the “Medical Mythbuster,” Dr. Joel Bervell has made a name for himself by tackling bias in medicine and translating complex healthcare inequities into viral, human-centered stories. In this episode, Joel shares his journey from a curious kid to Peabody Award–winning voice for equity in medicine. From pulse oximeters to superheroes, from storytelling to burnout, Dr. Imamu Tomlinson and Dr. Joel Bervell dive into what it means to be labeled an “Oreo,” how Joel turned that into his Less Than One Percent power, and how he found community through curiosity. He reflects on how storytelling, particularly Anansi the Spider, shaped his identity, and how a TikTok recorded in his childhood bedroom sparked a movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is how Dr. Joel Bervell disrupted medicine, by demystifying it, challenging its blind spots, and becoming the face of the stories no one else was telling. Visit www.imamutomlinson.com to learn more!

Episode Description

Known across social platforms as the “Medical Mythbuster,” Dr. Joel Bervell has made a name for himself by tackling bias in medicine and translating complex healthcare inequities into viral, human-centered stories.

In this episode, Joel shares his journey from a curious kid to Peabody Award–winning voice for equity in medicine. From pulse oximeters to superheroes, from storytelling to burnout, Dr. Imamu Tomlinson and Dr. Joel Bervell dive into what it means to be labeled an “Oreo,” how Joel turned that into his Less Than One Percent power, and how he found community through curiosity. He reflects on how storytelling, particularly Anansi the Spider, shaped his identity, and how a TikTok recorded in his childhood bedroom sparked a movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is how Dr. Joel Bervell disrupted medicine, by demystifying it, challenging its blind spots, and becoming the face of the stories no one else was telling.

Visit www.imamutomlinson.com to learn more!

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