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Purpose: The aim of this research is to describe the use of the social media platform, Instagram, by academic ophthalmology residency programs in the United States over time and consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmology's social media presence. Methods and Subjects: This cross-sectional study was conducted online by reviewing the publicly accessible Instagram accounts of all accredited US academic ophthalmology residency programs. Main Outcomes and Measures: Number of US ophthalmology residency programs with an affiliated Instagram account were analyzed by year of creation. The content of the top six accounts with the most followers was analyzed by evaluating amount of engagement within defined post categories. Results: Of the 124 ophthalmology residency programs, 78 (62.9%) were identified as having an affiliated Instagram account, 60 accounts (48.4%) were created during the years 2020 or 2021, and 62 (50.0%) accounts focused specifically on promoting the residency training program. Of the top six accounts with the most followers, post categories that received the most engagement were "Medical" and "Group Photo", while those that received the least engagement were "Department Bulletin" and "Miscellaneous." User engagement on posts as measured by likes and comments increased across multiple post categories after January 2020. Conclusion: Social media presence of ophthalmology residency programs on Instagram increased substantially in 2020 and 2021. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic restricting in-person interactions, residency programs have used alternative platforms to reach applicants. Given the increasing use of such applications, social media will likely continue to become an important aspect of professional engagement in ophthalmology.
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: While CTSA hubs have contributed to the successes in COVID-19 clinical research, understanding the role of the CTSA consortium in translating vaccine efficacy and availability to awareness and implementation. The goal of this study is to quantitatively assess the use of social media in the dissemination of COVID 19 vaccine content across 60+ CTSA Hubs. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Structured search terms in the CTSA Search Solutions database were used to identify CTSA Hub website pages highlighting “COVID-19 Vaccination Information.” Each link identified was manually reviewed for vaccination content. The links and content identified by CTSA Search Solutions were then validated by advanced Google search operator “vaccine site” and manual review of CTSA Hub websites. Official CTSA Hub social media platforms were searched for vaccine proliferation content from January 1, 2020 to November 11, 2021. Data points collected included Community Targeted Vaccine Content, Vaccine Awareness, Vaccine Distribution, Vaccine Clinical Trial, Vaccine Related Media, Social Media Presence, and Social Media Vaccine Proliferation. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In examining content, of the 64 listed CTSA Hubs, 52 of (67.2%) hosted one or more categories of COVID-19 vaccine information, and 16 (25%) hosted three or more categories. The most common category was “Community Targeted Information” with 27 (42.2%) hubs;the least common category was “Vaccine Distribution” with 5 (7.8%) hubs. Examining social media for vaccine proliferation, 41 (64.1%) hubs had connected social media and 23 (35.9%) hubs had vaccine proliferation posts. The most common platform was Twitter with 37 hubs;the least common platform was Instagram with 5 hubs. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our investigation demonstrated varying Phase 4 translational efforts via social media among the CTSA Hubs for COVID-19 vaccine implementation. These novel findings identify promising opportunities for enhancement while emphasizing proven strategies from CTSA hubs nationwide. Further research will elucidate granular trends among CTSA hubs.