Advertisement

Group Of Doctors Asks Columbia University To Fire Dr. Oz

Most people know Dr. Mehmet Oz as America’s most famous doctor, occupying the coveted 4pm TV spot with his daily series, “The Dr. Oz Show”.

America’s favorite doctor comes under fire — again.(Photo: Corbis)

But what you may not know about him is that prior to becoming a household name via “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2004, Oz was (and still is) one of the most sought-after cardiothoracic surgeons in the country, practicing at New York City’s prestigious New York-Presbyterian Hospital. And since 2001, he’s been a professor at Columbia University, where he’s currently the Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery.

Now, some of Oz’s peers are calling that appointment into question. On Wednesday, a group of doctors from across the country called on Columbia University to remove Dr. Mehmet Oz from their faculty list:

Lee Goldman, M.D. 

Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine 
Columbia University

Dear Dr. Goldman: 
I am writing to you on behalf of myself and the undersigned colleagues below, all of whom are distinguished physicians. 

We are surprised and dismayed that Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons would permit Dr. Mehmet Oz to occupy a faculty appointment, let alone a senior administrative position in the Department of Surgery. 

As described here and here, as well as in other publications, Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine, as well as baseless and relentless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops.  Worst of all, he has manifested an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain.


Thus, Dr. Oz is guilty of either outrageous conflicts of interest or flawed judgements about what constitutes appropriate medical treatments, or both.  Whatever the nature of his pathology, members of the public are being misled and endangered, which makes Dr. Oz’s presence on the faculty of a prestigious medical institution unacceptable. 

Sincerely yours, 

Henry I. Miller, M.D. 
Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy 
& Public Policy 
Hoover Institution 
Stanford University 
Stanford, CA 

Scott W. Atlas, M.D. 
David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow 
Hoover Institution 
Stanford University 
Stanford, CA 

Jack Fisher, M.D. 
Professor of Surgery (emeritus) 
University of California, San Diego 
La Jolla, CA 

Shelley Fleet, M.D. 
Anesthesiologist 
Longwood, FL 

Gordon N. Gill, M.D. 
Dean (emeritus) of Translational Medicine 
University of California, San Diego 
La Jolla, CA 

Michael H. Mellon, M.D. 
Pediatric Allergist 
San Diego, CA 

GIlbert Ross, M.D. 
President (Acting) and Executive Director 
American Council on Science and Health 
New York, NY 

Samuel Schneider, M.D. 
Psychiatrist 
Princeton, NJ 

Glenn Swogger Jr. M.D. 
Director of the Will Menninger Center for Applied Behavioral Sciences (retired)The Menninger Foundation 
Topeka, KS 

Joel E. Tepper, M.D. 
Hector MacLean Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research 
Dept of Radiation Oncology 
University of North Carolina School of Medicine 
Chapel Hill, NC 

Last year, Oz’s credibility was called into question when he faced a Congressional hearing, during which members of the Senate’s consumer protection panel scolded him for claims made about products featured on his show.

“The scientific community is almost monolithic against you in terms of the efficacy of the three products you called ‘miracles,’” said Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri. “When you call a product a miracle, and it’s something you can buy, and it’s something that gives people false hope, I don’t understand why you need to go there.”

“I actually do personally believe in the items I talk about on the show,“ said Oz. "I passionately study them. I recognize they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact but nevertheless I would give my audience the advice I give my family all the time, and I have given my family these products. Specifically the ones you mentioned, then I’m comfortable with that part.”

Related: 6 Doctors Spill Their Worst Health Habits — And How They Repent

Oz, for his part, has never endorsed products or companies featured on “The Dr. Oz Show”, and does not receive payment for featuring products on the show. For the most part, when a brand is featured, he brings on an independent expert to discuss the pluses and minuses of the product, and acts more as an interviewer in those instances.

But the doctor admits that brands often use his name, illegally, to sell their products. "If you see my name, face or show in any type of ad, email, or other circumstance,“ Oz testified in the Congressional hearing , "it’s illegal” — and not anything he has endorsed.

On Thursday, Columbia University replied to the group of doctors calling for Oz’s release:

Dear Dr. Miller et al, 

As I am sure you understand and appreciate, Columbia is committed to the principle of academic freedom and to upholding faculty members’ freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion. 

Regards, 

Doug Levy 
Chief Communications Officer 
Columbia University Medical Center 

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have a personal health story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at YHTrueStories@yahoo.com.