Kristin (left) and Will Flanary, pictured here in an undated provided photo. The Oregon couple are known as Lady and Dr. Glaucomflecken on social media, where they make comedy sketches about the U.S. healthcare system.
Courtesy The Glaucomfleckens
The U.S. healthcare system is notoriously complex. A simple doctor’s visit can trigger mysterious bills and endless calls to insurance companies.
An Oregon couple is giving voice to those frustrations through comedy sketches on social media.
Dr. and Lady Glaucomflecken — otherwise known as Will and Kristin Flanary — began making TikTok videos during the COVID-19 pandemic. Will is an ophthalmologist who dabbled in stand-up comedy as a high schooler.
“I went to med school and realized that I still needed it in my life,” he said. “It was an outlet for me … and there’s just way too many things to make fun of in medicine.”
As Will’s videos grew more popular, Kristin began to manage the business side of the Glaucomfleckens. She also supported Will through two separate cancer diagnoses and a sudden cardiac arrest he suffered in his sleep.
Through both of those experiences, humor served as a coping mechanism — but also a way to call out the obstacles they encountered while navigating the healthcare system.
“Humor is a really effective Trojan horse for educating people. It’s a really useful tool for advocacy and making change,” Kristin said.
The couple has since used their platform to advocate for both patients and their providers.
By tackling topics such as insurance requirements and private equity in healthcare, Will hopes they can better equip viewers for their own struggles with the healthcare system.
“There’s so many things underneath the surface that our patients aren’t even aware of,” Will said. “In order to create change in the healthcare system, you gotta know what the problems are.”
In addition to making sketches, the couple also creates educational resources to teach medical professionals how to ethically use social media.
“There’s so much misinformation out there when it comes to health and wellness. We do need people that are trustworthy and are using evidence-based information to be sharing what they know with the public,” Kristin said.
Even for providers who aren’t comfortable with social media, the Glaucomfleckens hope they can teach them how to share that information within their own social networks.
“People trust other people that they know,” Kristin said. “It doesn’t have to be everybody putting their face out on the internet. It can just be how to effectively communicate to the people in your life.”
“It does help to wear costumes, though. I will say that,” Will added.
Will and Kristin Flanary spoke with “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Listen to the full conversation:
Listen to audio from OPB journalists
