Meet Dr Icro Meattini: An impactful voice in the breast cancer space

Last month, we explored the profile of Dr Aline Charabaty, the world’s most impactful Digital Opinion Leader (DOL) in IBD, using our tool, DOL Finder. Our platform allows you to discover every online HCP who discusses a particular disease, ranked by their impact on peers, and learn about them through the content they post. 

Now, we’re diving into the breast cancer space, once again using our DOL Finder. Meet Icro Meattini, who ranks among the top 20 HCPs worldwide discussing breast cancer. Dr Meattini is a clinical oncologist at the Radiation Oncology Unit of the Oncology Department at the Florence University Hospital, where he is responsible for the Outpatient Clinics Unit, Clinical Trials Unit, and leader of the Clinical Oncology Group of the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). 

While he is not the world’s top HCP discussing breast cancer online, Dr Meattini still has a significant impact among his online peers. Understanding Dr Meattini’s online activity is a great example of the next step in DOL engagement: identifying healthcare professionals (HCPs) who are on the path to becoming Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs).

Recognising the right rising stars and understanding best practices for building early relationships with them is key, and Dr Meattini’s profile exemplifies this. He is an HCP without a massive public social media presence compared to higher-ranking HCPs, something we’ll explore when we discuss social media reach, but he is on a clear path to growth and he is among the most-trusted online HCPs by his peers in the breast cancer conversation.

When you open a profile in DOL Finder, you’ll see an overview of an HCP’s digital impact and key details such as their role and location. Dr Meattini ranks 18th globally and is active on three platforms: X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. You can also explore why he holds this ranking through four key metrics: online activity, peer trust, social media reach, and treatment discussions.

Dr Meattini ranks in the 99th percentile for three of these metrics; however, his overall social media reach falls in the 73rd percentile. While this may seem relatively low, it does not detract significantly from his impact on other HCPs, which is a metric uniquely captured by DOL Finder. Understanding these four metrics is essential for identifying and engaging emerging thought leaders.

Peer Trust

Over the past year, Dr Meattini has been referenced 229 times, with higher-ranking HCPs like Dr Matteo Lambertini mentioning him more than 25 times and others, such as Dr Gil Morgan, referencing him over 30 times. This level of engagement demonstrates the trust Dr Meattini has among his peers. As we’ve highlighted in our other articles, “In healthcare, trust is paramount—and when it comes to influencing medical professionals, no one is more trusted than a respected peer.” This trust is further reflected in the 221 HCPs who amplify his content; those who reference Dr Meattini also actively share his posts.

Treatment Interest

Dr Meattini rarely expresses sentiment toward products, yet he mentioned 21 different products over the past year. Similarly, he discussed 22 clinical trials with little indication of preference. However, he has shown explicit positive sentiment toward a few products and one trial. His interest in sharing product and trial data suggests he could evolve into a peer educator or data disseminator- DOL archetypes previously identified by CREATION.co.

Breast Cancer Activity

Dr Meattini posted 457 times about breast cancer over the past year, maintaining consistent activity but showing a noticeable spike in December. This lined up with the ESMO Immuno-Oncology and SABCS congresses, during which he posted over 80 times between December 8-15. Could these events have driven his increased activity? Understanding his online behavior provides valuable insights, particularly for potential collaborations; he is highly active during congresses and frequently amplifies content from other HCPs.

What type of content does Dr Meattini share? DOL Finder offers a few hints. 

The majority of the hashtags he uses are congress-related, confirming that he is very active online during these occasions. Furthermore, medical hashtags are also part of his social media posts, indicating that his discussions are primarily about research and data. 

The next section on online activity offers insights into how Dr Meattini discusses manufacturers and provides a closer look at the congresses he mentions. His content tends to focus more on data than on manufacturers, as shown by the limited number of mentions and sentiment expressed towards them. 

Notably, he referenced six congresses over the past year. According to CREATION.co’s research, “HCPs are not just passive recipients of congress data—they’re active amplifiers, bringing their own perspectives and interpretations to their online networks.” This further supports the idea that Dr Meattini plays the role of a data disseminator; he mentioned congresses in 225 posts, accounting for an impressive 49% of his total content! 

In our article about tracking HCP conversations across congress, you can learn more about how manufacturers can benefit from listening to online HCP conversations, such as Dr Meattini’s. 

Let’s continue to the next section where we can gain a better understanding of the kind of information he engages with and his professional network.  

His interest in research-driven debates is demonstrated by the fact that six out of ten of the websites he shares are academic journals. This supports the earlier finding on his role as a data disseminator.

The network visualisation also shows that his online interactions are predominantly with oncologists, as indicated by the pink nodes. Interestingly, Dr Meattini’s most referenced websites reveal important links with other HCPs, such as Matteo Lambertini (@matteolambe), a higher-ranking HCP who, as previously stated, references him in his content. This reciprocal recognition implies strong peer connections, which are required for impacting medical conversation online. Another key mention is Radiation Oncologist Elisabetta Bonzano (@to_be_elizabeth); understanding these connections can uncover potential opportunities for meaningful collaborations within the oncology community. 

Social Media Reach

At CREATION.co, we have identified a few key metrics for recognising HCP DOLs. These include: whether they post relevant content, have an HCP or public following, are trusted among their online peers, actively participate in online conversations, possess public influence, and maintain a social media presence. 

Based on these criteria, there is strong evidence to suggest that Dr Meattini is an impactful voice in the breast cancer space. He is trusted by his peers, digitally savvy, a data disseminator, and maintains a strong professional network. However, why is his social media reach only in the 73rd percentile? Let’s explore what DOL Finder reveals.

Dr Meattini’s influence is clearly global. While his largest follower base is in the US, his HCP connections span continents: from South America to Australia and Europe, all while he is based in Italy. Although his global social media connections appear relatively low compared to his overall following (2,744 X followers, 1,731 followers on LinkedIn, 184 followers Bluesky), he still aligns with most of the DOL identification metrics mentioned above. CREATION.co has seen success stories where rising stars with similar profiles have gone on to become DOLs. Dr Meattini seems to be following a similar trajectory.

In addition, he frequently uses medically focused terms like treatment, trial, patients, study, when discussing breast cancer in his posts. It appears we can safely say that he is undoubtedly a data disseminator!

That wraps up our deep dive into Dr Meattini’s profile, and we can now say that using the DOL finder, we discovered that Dr Meattini:

• Is a highly impactful HCP in the breast cancer space, with a strong focus on data dissemination and academic discussions. 
• Is trusted by his peers and connected with HCPs worldwide. 
• Is well-positioned to become an even more impactful voice within the oncology community. 

To learn more about DOL Finder or arrange your own personal demo, please get in touch.