Mehmet C. Oz (Turkish: Mehmet Öz ) (born June 11, 1960) is an American cardiothoracic surgeon, and author. He has made frequent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show , as well as appearances on Larry King, CNN, and other networks. Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures will produce and distribute a syndicated daily talk show featuring Oz, called The Dr. Oz Show , in Fall 2009. [1]

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Biography

Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Turkish parents. ^[2] His father was Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öz. He is married to author and Reiki master Lisa Oz and they have four children, Daphne, Arabella, Zoe, and Oliver. He has two younger sisters, Seval Oz Ozveren and Nazlim Oz. He now lives in Cliffside Park, NJ.

He was educated at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1982, he received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University. In 1986, he obtained a joint MD and MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Wharton School ^[3].

Oz is Professor of Cardiac Surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Heart Assist Device Program and is a founder of the Complementary Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and healthcare policy. He has authored more than 350 original publications, book chapters, abstracts, and books and has received several patents. Oz serves as a scientific advisor to MDLinx, a leading physician portal.

Oz is the founder and chairman of HealthCorps, a non-profit organization that pays a small stipend to recent college graduates to spend two years in high schools mentoring students about health, nutrition, and fitness.

Oz has served as a director of Siga Technologies since April 2001. Siga is a biotechnology company that designs and develops novel countermeasures to prevent and treat serious infectious diseases, with an emphasis on biological warfare defense. SIGA’s leading program is ST-246, an oral therapeutic agent active against orthopoxviruses including smallpox. Additional programs target arenaviruses such as Lassa fever, filoviruses such as Ebola and Marburg, flaviviruses such as Dengue fever, and other category A diseases.

He serves on the Trustees Advisory Council of the OneVoice Movement, a non-profit organization that strives to empower moderate Israelis and Palestinians to take a more assertive role in resolving the conflict.

Oz has been influenced by many people, including the ideas of the Swedish scientist, philosopher, and Christian theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. He recently wrote in Spirituality and Health Magazine that "As I came into contact with Swedenborg's many writings, I began to understand Swedenborg's profound insights and how they applied directly to my life" . He mentions Swedenborg's ideas that marriage lasts to eternity, everyone has a purpose in this world, God is love, and Swedenborg's answers to "Why do bad things happen?" . He is an investigator in Energy Medicine (ie. meditative medicine, not to be mistaken with metabolic sciences).

Criticism

RealAge drug marketing

As The New York Times has explained, Oz is a "spokesman and adviser" for the website, RealAge.com, which the paper has heavily criticized for its pharmaceutical marketing practices. The site solicits medical information from visitors, ostensibly to determine a visitor’s "biological age" and then uses the visitor's medical profile for pharmaceutical marketing purposes. As The Times reporter explained the significance of this fact: "While few people would fill out a detailed questionnaire about their health and hand it over to a drug company looking for suggestions for new medications, that is essentially what RealAge is doing." ^[4]

Alternative medicine

Oz and his wife, a reiki practitioner, are believers in alternative medicine. Mainstream allopathy practitioners allege that Oz may be promoting unproven and potentially harmful alternative medicine practices on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Appearing in surgical scrubs on the show's set in Chicago, Oz has promoted energy based practices such as acupuncture on the show. ^[5]

In advertisements for his new television program, Dr. Oz recommends to people who want to get in shape, "Don't even think about exercizing!" suggesting they tune in to his program for tips on how to be healthy.

Author

Oz is the author of the award-winning book, Healing from the Heart and his third book, written with Dr. Michael Roizen, is YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger was released in May 2005 and was listed on The New York Times Bestseller List. His most recent book is YOU: Being Beautiful , also written with Dr. Roizen.

Books and publications

• YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty , by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz, 2008, ISBN 1416572341.
• YOU: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty , by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz, 2007, ISBN 0743292561.
• YOU: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management , by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz, 2006, ISBN 0743292545.
• YOU: The Smart Patient: An Insider's Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment , by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz, 2006, ISBN 0743293010.
• YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger , by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz, 2005, ISBN 0060765313.
• Complementary and Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine: Clinical Handbook , by Richard A. Stein (Editor), Mehmet, M.D. Oz (Editor), 2004, ISBN 1588291863.
• Healing from the Heart: A Leading Surgeon Combines Eastern and Western Traditions to Create the Medicine of the Future , by Mehmet Öz, Ron Arias, Dean Ornish, 1999, ISBN 0452279550.
• Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery . , 2003
• Numerous editorials in Newsweek , O Magazine, Esquire Magazine, and The New England Journal of Medicine

Television shows

• "Second Opinion with Dr Oz" on Discovery Health
• "Life Line" on Discovery Health
• "Daily Rounds" on Discovery Health
• "The Truth About Food" on Discovery Health
• "Live Transplant" on Discovery Health
• "National Body Challenge" on Discovery Health
• "You: On a Diet" on Discovery Health
• "Ask Dr. Oz" on The Oprah Winfrey Show
• "AccentHealth" on Turner Private Networks -- a health-themed newsmagazine program designed for viewing in doctor's offices.
• "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central.
• "The Dr. Oz Show" Syndicated

Radio

Oz joined Oprah Winfrey as a regular contributor to the 24/7 XM Satellite Radio: Oprah & Friends channel on September 25, 2006.

Honors

• Named Time Magazine's 44th Most Influential Scientist and Thinker 2008
• Honored by the New York Open Center for his "outstanding research in writing and communication [and for] bridging Western and alternative/complementary medicine." 2007
• Listed in Doctors of the Year Hippocrates Magazine
• Listed in Healers of the Millennium Healthy Living Magazine
• Listed in Best Doctors of the Year New York Magazine
• Listed in Castle Connolly Guide
• Named Global Leader of Tomorrow at the 1999 World Economic Forum meeting
• Named Turkish American of the Year 1996
• Books for a Better America Award for Healing from the Heart , 1999
• Robert E. Gross Research Scholarship from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 1994-1996
• Research Award, American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery , 1991
• Blakemore Research Awards, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons 1988-1991

References

1. Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television To Launch Dr. Oz, Oprah.com, June 13, 2008.
2. Turkish Times
3. The Great and Powerful Dr. Oz
4. Stephanie Clifford. "Online Age Quiz Is a Window for Drug Makers." ''The New York Times''. March 25, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/technology/internet/26privacy.html
5. http://skepdic.com/skeptimedia/skeptimedia5.html