Palaniappan Manickam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- MBBS, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research
- MPH, University of Massachusetts Boston
- Residency, (Internal Medicine), Wayne State University School of Medicine
Palaniappan Manickam (Dr. Pal) | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 November 1983 Madurai, India |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Gastroenterologist |
| Known for | Media personality, stand-up comedy, health advocacy |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Medical doctor, health advocate, stand-up comedian |
| Field | Medicine |
| Sub-specialties | Gastroenterology |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Subscribers | 3.83 million |
| Views | 1,822,168,373 |
| Last updated: March 7, 2026 | |
| Website | drpalmanickam |
Palaniappan Manickam, better known as Dr. Pal, is a gastroenterologist, stand-up comedian and social media personality[1] of Indian origin, currently setting up a clinic in India. He specializes in gut health, and time-restricted eating. He is also a celebrity doctor who uses in-person and virtual stand-up comedy ("MedCom") to educate the general public on chronic illness intervention.
Manickam was born and raised in Madurai, India.[2][3][4] He received his MBBS from PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Coimbatore, India, his MPH from University of Massachusetts Boston, and his residency in Internal Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan.[5][6] He did his gastroenterology fellowship at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.[1][5]
Career
Manickam is a gastroenterologist in Sacramento, California[2][4] and uses a form of stand-up comedy he calls "MedCom,"[7] on social media and in person in order to educate the public on gut health and chronic illness intervention.[4][3][8][9] His fans fondly refer to him as "Gutman", a portmanteau of Batman.
Manickam made his first video in March 2020[10] during the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that it "all started when an NGO got in touch with me saying they wanted a video for Covid awareness. I agreed and prepared a 10-minute script in four hours. They saw the video and wrote back to me saying this was very comical and that they wanted a professional video. I was gutted because I had spent a lot of time writing the jokes. They suggested I upload it to YouTube."[9] Manickam followed through and created a YouTube channel, uploading the video. He then shared the video with a WhatsApp group that he belonged to, and the video went viral.[10] He subsequently developed his YouTube channel, and created channels on other social media outlets such as Instagram.[7]
While the initial content of his videos focused on COVID-19, it gradually shifted to gut-health,[7] time-restricted eating,[3] mostly plant-based diets,[11] and weight loss.[2] Manickam also began to study the genre of stand-up comedy, and invented the character "Saravana Kumar" as a means of connecting with his audience.[7] He eventually began to perform his "medcom" routines in live stand - up performances in the United States, India,[4][9] and Malaysia.[12]
Manickam says that his comedic videos and live performances are his form of giving back,[10] as all funds collected from his media outlets go towards Aishwaryam Trust, Madurai (a foundation which offers Palliative care).[8]
Honors
In 2024, Rediff.com listed Manickam as one of "India's Top Social Media Influencers."[13]
