Mehmet Oz

Mehmet Oz, born on June 11, 1960, is a prominent figure in the fields of medicine and media. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, as the son of Turkish immigrants, he holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Turkey. In the 1980s, Oz completed 60 days of mandatory military training in the Turkish Army before embarking on a surgical residency at Presbyterian Hospital in New York in 1986. There, he co-founded the Cardiac Complementary Care Center, which aimed to integrate alternative medicine into the treatment of heart disease.

In 2001, Oz became a professor of surgery at Columbia University, a position he held until becoming professor emeritus in 2018. However, in May 2022, Columbia severed ties with him, removing his presence from their website. Throughout his career, Oz has been instrumental in developing innovative medical procedures and devices, including the MitraClip, which has significantly impacted cardiac care.

Oz's media career began in 2003 with the launch of 'Second Opinion with Dr. Oz' on the Discovery Channel. He gained widespread recognition as a regular guest on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' making over sixty appearances. In 2009, he launched 'The Dr. Oz Show,' a daily program focused on health and wellness, which ran for 13 seasons and garnered 10 Daytime Emmy Awards. Despite his success, Oz has faced criticism for promoting pseudoscience, particularly regarding alternative medicine and faith healing.

In 2022, Oz ventured into politics, running as a Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. He made history as the first Muslim candidate for Senate nominated by a major party but ultimately lost to Democrat John Fetterman. In 2025, he was appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a role for which he was confirmed by the Senate along party lines.