Real Doctors Against Oz: Letter From 151 PA Doctors

Dear Citizens of Pennsylvania,

We the undersigned doctors write with serious concern regarding the candidacy of Dr. Mehmet Oz for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. As physicians, we strongly believe in evidence-based medicine and sharing honest health information with the public.

As a former daytime TV host, Dr. Oz exploited the hopes and fears of his viewers by promoting unproven, ill-advised, and at times potentially dangerous treatments. He has made clear that he will put enriching himself above all else, even in instances where people’s health is endangered.

Dr. Oz’s record of spreading misinformation and sharing factually incorrect medical advice on The Dr. Oz Show and otherwise is thoroughly researched and well documented.

One 2014 study by the British Medical Journal found that half of the claims made on The Dr. Oz Show were not based in fact and researchers at Georgetown University found that more than 75% of recommendations made on Dr. Oz’s show “did not align with evidence-based medical guidelines.” When called before Congress to answer for this misinformation, even Dr. Oz himself had to admit that “oftentimes [the products I promote] don’t have the scientific muster to pass as fact.”

Dr. Oz would also be another vote to criminalize abortion and he has refused to condemn efforts to ban abortion in Pennsylvania, endangering the lives of women and people who can become pregnant. He has even said that he opposes abortions in cases of rape or incest.

Dr. Oz also disseminated dangerous misinformation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He promoted and defended unproven and possibly dangerous COVID-19 treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin when there wasn’t clear scientific consensus. He also said that COVID-19 vaccines weren’t “true vaccines” like “classic childhood vaccines.” This is all deeply concerning.

In 2015, ten physicians, including surgeons and professors, penned a letter to ​​Columbia’s Dean of Medicine saying they were “surprised and dismayed” that Dr. Oz was a faculty member at the university. The same year, eight Columbia faculty members published an op-ed in USA Today calling out Dr. Oz for “misleading the public” and forcing physicians like themselves to spend “a significant amount of our clinical time debunking Ozisms.” This year, Columbia University decided to cut ties with the former TV host.

As a TV celebrity doctor, Mehmet Oz has displayed a shameful disregard for medical science and the wellbeing of his audience while he enriched himself at the expense of our patients. As physicians we take seriously our responsibility for the health and wellbeing of our patients.

John Fetterman believes that healthcare is a fundamental human right, supports expanding access to affordable health care, protecting people with preexisting conditions, and would vote to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. Protecting the health and wellbeing of our citizens requires that we elect John Fetterman to the US Senate this November.

Sincerely,

Physicians of Pennsylvania

Select last names have been omitted to protect physician privacy.

1. Dr. Benjamin Abella
2. Dr. Philip Hirshman
3. Dr. Ezekiel Tayler
4. Dr. Valerie Arkoosh
5. Dr. Sohni Dean
6. Dr. Lisa W
7. Dr. Belinda B
8. Dr. Dan Vogl
9. Dr. Catherine Burdett
10. Dr. Ben Cocchiaro
11. Dr. Katherine H. Herz
12. Dr. Radhika P
13. Dr. Michael Abboud
14. Dr. Sara P
15. Dr. Anupriya G
16. Sarah Horvath
17. Sarah L
18. Danielle S
19. LeeAnn T
20. Lynne Coslett-Charlton
21. Thomas Dardarian
22. Jackie C
23. Elizabeth Wolo
24. Lawremce Kaplan
25. Kathryn Z
26. Mark Lopatin
27. Ann Steiner
28. Sarah Kawasaki
29. Sally Pullman-Mooar
30. Erika B
31. Noah R
32. Rabia Choudry
33. Lisa Rosen
34. Margaret Gilfillan
35. Paula Edelson
36. Amy Behrman
37. Kristina Nicholson
38. Abike James
39. Melina M
40. Kathleen Ackert
41. Michal Elovitz
42. Holly C
43. Danielle Johnson
44. Anne K
45. Anja L
46. Sherry B
47. Alison Swigart
48. Laura Czulada
49. Amy L
50. Cathy N
51. Maura Dunfey
52. Sugandha Landy
53. Jeff L
54. Jessica Z
55. Jay G
56. Courtney Schreiber
57. Nadia Dowshen
58. Deborah Owen
59. Nadja Peter
60. Shelby D
61. Peter Vasquez
62. Christina Master
63. Roberta Laguerre
64. Fran Balamuth
65. Matthew Magda
66. Esther N
67. Jen Keim
68. David C
69. Karen Feisullin
70. Garrett Keim
71. Adam Lake
72. Kaitlin B
73. Jessica M
74. Alhambra Frarey
75. Rachel Nash
76. Nisha G
77. Sarah G
78. Kathryn K
79. Michelle Horn
80. Lisa Perriera
81. Sarah W
82. Holli Warholic
83. Sandra Birnbaum
84. Robert Marron
85. Heather Mascio
86. Elizabeth D
87. Moira Z
88. Adam B
89. Corey Herman
90. Linsey O
91. Laurie G
92. Kristen D
93. Brian Work
94. Shivani P
95. Julie Yeh
96. Sheila Quinn
97. Andrea Fox
98. John Butler
99. Donna Farrell, DO
100. Alan Reinach
101. Peter S
102. Shannon T
103. Ann Honebrink
104. Kim R
105. Meg Kawan
106. Sunita Nasta
107. Jenny Wang
108. Kerry Krauss
109. Danielle Levine
110. Kevin L
111. Sharon D
112. Steven S
113. Charles W
114. Megan Madsen
115. Lisa Wray
116. Jack Guida
117. Naomi Lauriello
118. Ezekiel Tayler
119. MaryAnne Peifer
120. Sarah D
121. Judith Kastenberg
122. Elizabeth L
123. Julia R
124. Jennifer K
125. Jessica K
126. Sudeshna Chatterjee-Paer
127. Denese B
128. Alison Swigart
129. Thomas Dardarian
130. Lisa Naujoks
131. Jessica C
132. Joan Z
133. Catherine B
134. Xiaomang Stickles
135. Robyn Faye
136. Sara Pentlicky
137. Donna D
138. Sherry Blumenthal
139. Rachel S
140. David O. Holtz
141. William Wieczorek
142. Angela C
143. Mackenzie Cummings
144. Sage Mikami
145. O. Abar
146. Swati S
147. Kwandaa Roberts
148. Kavita Vinekar
149. Jessica Pescatore
150. Alyssa Kurtz
151. Sarah G