Group Of Physicians Call On Columbia University To Fire Dr. Oz, Medical Center Stands By The TV Doctor

Dr. Mehmet Oz comes under fire once again as a group of 10 doctors are asking Columbia University to fire the TV doctor. The physicians calling for Oz’s firing say he lacks integrity and promotes quack treatments.

Most Americans know Dr. Oz as the host of his daily series The Dr. Oz Show, but the television doctor is one of the most sought-after cardiothoracic surgeons, practicing at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. According to Yahoo Health, he has also been serving as the Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery at Columbia University since 2001 and is also a professor at the school.

A group of physicians, however, is describing his holding a faculty position at “a prestigious medical institution” as unacceptable.

In a letter sent this week to Columbia’s Dean of Medicine, Lee Goldman, the group of 10 doctors from various institutions are calling for Dr. Oz’s firing. The letter, published in its entirety by The Washington Post, indicates that the physicians believe the TV doctor lacks integrity by promoting quack treatments for financial gain. The group of doctors also take issue with Dr. Oz’s opposition to genetically-modified food (GMOs).

“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 judgments [sic] about what constitutes appropriate medical treatments, or both. Whatever the nature of his pathology, members of the public are being misled and endangered.”

Dr. Henry Miller of Stanford, the first to sign the letter, tells New York Daily News Dr. Oz is a “quack and a charlatan.” Miller says his belief is that Columbia is star-struck by the famous doctor and that the university may be holding out hope that Oprah “will come and endow a center for homeopathic medicine.”

In a response to the group of physicians, Columbia University indicates the medical center is standing by Dr. Oz.

“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.”

This is not the first time Dr. Mehmet Oz’s credibility has been called into question. In 2014, Dr. Oz faced a congressional hearing in which members of the Senate’s consumer protection panel criticized the doctor for claims he made about products featured on his show, as the Inquisitr previously reported. At that time, Dr. Oz maintained he firmly believed in the efficacy of the products he features on The Dr. Oz Show and receives no payment for endorsements.

[Image by Brad Barket/Getty Images]