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Dr Pal Manickam Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth15 November 1983

Age40 Years (as of 2023)

BirthplaceMadurai, Tamil Nadu, India

ProfessionDoctor, Social Media Influencer

Marital statusMarried

SpousePriya

FamilyTwo sons

Dr Pal Manickam Biography

Board-certified gastroenterologist, health educator and social media creator known for combining medical advice with comedy. Dr Pal Manickam grew up in Mad

Early life and background

Palaniappan Manickam was born on 15 November 1983 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He grew up in that region and later pursued medical training in India before moving to the United States for advanced study and specialty training. He stands about 178 cm (5'10") tall and is described as having black hair and black eyes.

Education and training

Manickam completed his MBBS at PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Coimbatore in 2007. He then pursued further training in the United States, earning a Masters in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts in Boston and completing an MD in Internal Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine between 2008 and 2011. He finished a gastroenterology fellowship at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, in 2015.

Career

A board-certified gastroenterologist, Dr Pal Manickam has practiced clinically in the United States and was appointed as a consultant gastroenterologist at Dignity Health Medical Foundation in Sacramento, California in July 2015. His clinical focus includes gut health, time-restricted eating and promoting predominantly plant-based dietary approaches for chronic disease prevention and weight management.

Alongside his clinical work, Manickam developed a public-facing role as a medical educator and social media creator. He began producing online content in March 2020, when a COVID-19 educational video he recorded reached a wide audience. That early clip led him to launch a YouTube channel and expand his presence across Instagram and other platforms. Over time his videos broadened from pandemic-related material to cover gut health, intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, weight loss and lifestyle interventions for chronic illness.

Manickam has also trained in and performed stand-up comedy as part of his public education efforts. In May 2020 he joined the Building 18 comedy club in California to learn scriptwriting and stage delivery. He created a comedic persona, Saravana Kumar, and incorporated live ‘‘MedCom’’ routines into performances in both the United States and India. His approach blends humor with medical information to make health topics more accessible.

Personal health and advocacy

Dr Manickam has spoken publicly about his own health journey. After once weighing over 100 kg and experiencing a mild heart attack and palpitations, he adopted intermittent fasting and other lifestyle changes, which he says helped him lose around 30 kg. He emphasizes aligning eating and sleeping patterns with circadian rhythms and advocates for time-restricted eating as part of metabolic and hormonal health.

Public profile

Manickam’s online following has grown substantially. He has built a large audience on YouTube and Instagram, with social accounts that have attracted over a million followers on Instagram and more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube as reported. His content spans short-form and long-form videos, in-person talks, and live comedy-infused medical education events.

He has received professional recognition, including awards such as a Young Investigator Award in research, a Pioneer Award for his MedCom show from the American Tamil Entrepreneur Association, and Top Doctor awards in 2020 and 2021.

Personal life

Manickam is married to Priya, a data scientist who works at a software company. The couple married in 2012 and have two sons. He identifies as non-vegetarian. He has expressed a commitment to giving back: funds generated from his social media platforms have been directed to the Aishwaryam Trust in Madurai, which provides palliative care services.

Latest updates

In December 2023 Dr Pal Manickam appeared as a guest on The Ranveer Show podcast. He continues to split his time between clinical practice and content creation, balancing patient care with his role as a public educator and entertainer. His ongoing work focuses on gut health, weight management through time-restricted eating, and using humor to communicate medical information to broader audiences.
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Recent Work

YouTube and social media educational content

Videos and live MedCom performances covering COVID-19, gut health, time-restricted eating, plant-forward diets and weight loss.

2020–2023
Consultant Gastroenterologist at Dignity Health Medical Foundation

Clinical appointment in Sacramento, California following completion of fellowship.

2015
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Career Highlights

  1. Completed gastroenterology fellowship at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak (2015)
  2. Appointed consultant gastroenterologist at Dignity Health Medical Foundation in Sacramento (July 2015)
  3. Launched social media education during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020)
  4. Developed MedCom—combining stand-up comedy with medical education
  5. Received Young Investigator Award, Pioneer Award for MedCom, and Top Doctor Awards (2020, 2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Dr Pal Manickam born?

15 November 1983

What is Dr Pal Manickam known for?

Doctor, Social Media Influencer

What is Dr Pal Manickam’s marital status?

Married

Who is Dr Pal Manickam married to?

Priya