The Conference That Featured My Live Brain Aneurysm Case Is Where I'm Heading With My Neurosurgeon Clients.

In March 2018, I went in for an MRI scan that I almost didn't schedule. I was 30 years old, completely asymptomatic, no headaches, no pain, no warning signs of any kind. I only went because my mom had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm the year before, and because aneurysms can be genetic, her siblings and children got tested. She is one of eight, and she has three kids. Everyone went. I was last.

I assumed I was fine. I was 30 years old, healthy, and I had absolutely no indication that I had a ticking time bomb in my head. The scan itself took less than ten minutes. I went back to my day, and I got a call the next morning with the news: I had medium-sized brain aneurysm in my carotid artery.

When I got that call, I was not starting from scratch trying to figure out where to go. I knew exactly who I wanted to see.

My Surgery

Dr. Elad Levy, my surgeon, is the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at UB Neurosurgery in Buffalo, a center of neurosurgical excellence known globally for its cerebrovascular work, led by the late Dr. Nick Hopkins. I had worked in healthcare. I knew the reputation of that department. I knew the caliber of the surgeons, and I knew that Dr. Levy had already helped my mom. It was a no-brainer (pun intended).

So I went in for a cerebral angiogram. The team plotted their path. And then something happened that I only fully appreciated years later: I became a live case presented at the annual AANS meeting in 2018, during stroke awareness month.

That detail did not mean much to me at the time. I was focused on getting through the awake procedure and recovering.

AANS 2018 Live (and AWAKE) Case

I am going to AANS in San Antonio this week, 8 years later, as the social media strategist for two of my neurosurgery clients. I'll be on site capturing content, supporting their in real time posting, and doing the exact work I have spent the last several years building a company around.

Eight years ago, I was the patient. Now I am the person helping tell the story of the surgeons.

That full-circle moment is not lost on me, and it is also the reason I am writing this post.

What the Aneurysm Actually Taught Me

I was at a crossroads before the diagnosis, even if I couldn't see it clearly at the time. I was running a marketing department, finishing my MBA, and thinking about starting my own agency. The aneurysm did not derail any of that. What it did was pause everything long enough for me to get clear.

When something significant happens in your life, how you respond matters just as much as the thing itself. I refused to let that experience be something that just happened to me. While I was recovering, a colleague from the neurosurgery department that treated me, UBNS, asked what I planned to do after I finished my MBA. I told him I wanted to start my own agency. He offered me a freelance position helping with their social media.

The very team that saved my life became my first client.

That one opportunity grew into working with individual physicians and multiple practices across the United States, and eventually into Atria Social, a healthcare branding and social media agency that now serves physicians and surgeons exclusively across the country.

The Thing Most Exceptional Doctors Are Missing

Here is what I learned from being a patient that I could not have learned any other way.

When I got that call in 2018, I knew who to call because I had inside knowledge of the system. I worked in healthcare. My mom ran the radiology department of the region's Level I trauma center. I heard people talk about UB Neurosurgery's cerebrovascular program for years. I knew the reputation not because I had searched for it, but because I was already inside a world where that reputation circulated.

Most patients are not inside that world.

Most patients are sitting with a diagnosis, or a referral, or a question, and they're searching online. In fact, 77% of patients search their doctor before scheduling an appointment. 

They're looking at social profiles and websites, and trying to make a decision with incomplete information. They are not weighing your CV, they're not reading your publications, and they're not asking a colleague. They're doing what people do when they do not know where to start: they search, and they find whoever is most visible.

And fun fact, 30% of searches are now done on LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude.

This is not a criticism of how patients make decisions. It is just the reality of how people find doctors in 2026. The physician who is exceptional but invisible online is losing patients to someone who may be significantly less skilled but significantly more present.

Heading to AANS 2026!

I was a live case at AANS in 2018 because a team of neurosurgeons used cutting-edge techniques and made a decision that changed my life. I'm going to AANS this week because I have built a career helping the people who do that work every single day be findable by the patients who need them.

If you are a neurosurgeon, a neurology specialist, or a physician in any specialty who knows that your online presence does not reflect the quality of your clinical work, I want to talk to you. Not because social media is the most important thing in your career, but because the patients who need you deserve to be able to find you.

You help brains. I help brands. Let's make sure the right people can find yours.

If You Are a Neurosurgeon Going to AANS...

On Thursday, June 4th, I am hosting a webinar titled, Social Media for Neurosurgeons Who Don't Have Time. This is a free one-hour webinar built specifically for the neurosurgeon who knows they should be on social media, but has not had a single free hour to figure out where to start.

I have worked with 60+ neurosurgeons and built this session around exactly what that specialty needs, including time-saving strategies you can set and forget or hand off to your team, an exclusive look at a new offer I am launching specifically for surgeons and physicians, and bonus worksheets, AI prompts, and templates you can use right away.

The session runs from 12PM to 1PM EST on June 4th, and your team is welcome to join. If you cannot make it live, register anyway and the replay will come to you.

Reserve your seat at Brand Rounds #004 here.

ABOUT:

Amanda Dougherty is the founder and CEO of Atria Social, a boutique healthcare branding and social media agency serving physicians and surgeons exclusively. She has 14 years of experience in healthcare marketing and holds an MBA. Learn more at atriasocial.com or book a free 30-minute strategy call to talk about your physician brand.