A Boston-based pediatrician said it was time for Oprah Winfrey to acknowledge the role she played in Dr. Mehmet Oz’s career and speak out against him as she bid for a Senate seat, the Daily Beast reported. “If it weren’t for Oprah, Oz would have made his career as a distinguished and widely respected heart surgeon and everyone would have been better off,” said Dr. Daniel Summers. “His fame, and therefore his candidacy, stems directly from her own reputation and prominence.” Summers’ comments come as the Daily Beast reports that Columbia University School of Medicine has quietly distanced itself from Oz, who has long been criticized by doctors for promoting unfounded medical advice on his show, The Dr. Oz Show. Before taking up his own show in 2009, Oz became popular thanks to his role as a health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for several years. NBC News reported that in 2020, Oz promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug for the treatment of COVID-19 despite the lack of data and the concern of specialist doctors. The New York Times reported in December 2021 that the British Medical Journal analyzed 80 medical recommendations on Oz’s show and found that less than half were supported by evidence. Summers told The Beast that it’s been a long time since Winfrey “recognized her role in doing what he is and to make an effort to stop the damage done by dismissing him.” Oz’s show was canceled after Oz announced his candidacy for the GOP for the US Senate in Pennsylvania. Oz has also been backed by former President Donald Trump, who has also suggested unfounded coronavirus treatments during his presidency.
