Celebrity doctor
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Celebrity doctors include
physicians A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
medical professional A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...
s, people with the title doctor, and some with the nickname "doctor" who have extensive media exposure. Some may have a secondary role as an entertainer. Examples of celebrity doctors include
Dr. Drew David Drew Pinsky (born September 4, 1958), commonly known as Dr. Drew, is an American media personality, internist, and addiction medicine specialist. He hosted the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''Loveline'' from the show's incepti ...
, Dr. Miami,
Dr. Oz Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate. The son of Tur ...
,
Dr. Ruth Karola Ruth Westheimer ( Siegel; born June 4, 1928), better known as Dr. Ruth, is a German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, professor, Holocaust survivor, and former Haganah sniper. Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish fa ...
, and Dr. Weil.


Media

A "celebrity doctor" is a medical professional noted for appearances on television, the internet and social media, books, and speaking engagements. For many years, doctors such as Everett Koop, Benjamin Spock, and Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth) gave advice on the radio, on television, and in books. With the growth of the internet and social media, medical professionals had more places to reach the public, especially with messages alternative to mainstream medical advice. Celebrity doctors are part of a "healthcare–media complex" that constantly seeks new attention of consumers in the
24-hour news cycle The 24-hour news cycle (or 24/7 news cycle) is 24-hour investigation and reporting of news, concomitant with fast-paced lifestyles. The vast news resources available in recent decades have increased competition for audience and advertiser attent ...
with catchy content about health in order to achieve and maintain high rankings, which media channels can then monetize. There is a conflict between their roles and responsibilities as medical doctors, and their roles as business people and entertainers. Consumers generally trust that the content they receive from celebrity doctors is valid due to their credentials and their fame. Content may be exaggerated and simplified by the need to gain and keep the public's attention, and is often general and may not be applicable to an individual receiving the content. The problem of conflicts of interest becomes especially acute if a celebrity doctor endorses some specific product or approach to health when they deliver content about health, and also sells related products. Sometimes the content is dangerous because people who are sick waste time following poor or irrelevant advice and their illness advances and becomes more difficult to manage. In ''
The BMJ ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
s Christmas 2014 edition, a study determined that for the TV show '' The Doctors'', "evidence supported 63%, contradicted 14%, and was not found for 24%" of recommendations made by the panel of doctors, and for ''
The Dr. Oz Show ''The Dr. Oz Show'' (or simply ''Oz'') is an American syndicated daytime television talk show, hosted by Mehmet Oz, that aired between September 14, 2009, and January 14, 2022. Each episode features segments on health, wellness, and medical infor ...
'', "evidence supported 46%, contradicted 15%, and was not found for 39%" of his recommendations; the study also said that "the public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows." Examples of celebrity doctors include
Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternati ...
,
Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...
a.k.a. Dr. Phil (though he does not have a medical degree),
Mehmet Oz Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate. The son of Tur ...
, Drew Pinsky,
David Perlmutter David Perlmutter is a Naples, Florida, Naples, Florida–based American celebrity doctor and author. Early life Perlmutter's father Irwin was a Miami neurosurgeon. David Perlmutter received a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of M ...
, and Andrew Weil. Robert Atkins and
Arthur Agatston Arthur Agatston (born January 22, 1947) is an American cardiologist and celebrity doctor best known as the developer of the South Beach Diet, but also as the author of many published scholarly papers in the field of noninvasive cardiac diagnostics ...
are examples of celebrity doctors who have created and promoted fad diets. Celebrity doctors based outside the US include Ginni Mansberg (Australia); Eriko Wakisaka (Japan); and
Hayden Kho Hayden Kho Jr. is a Filipino media personality, model, actor, and cosmetic surgeon. Life and education Hayden Kho Jr. was born on May 20, 1980, the third of 4 children. His father, Hayden Kho Sr., is a Chinese doctor, while his mother, Irene de ...
(Philippines). Several doctors from the UK have presented on the medical
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show '' Embarrassing Bodies'' (which has been praised for its service to public health while remaining popular) and have become celebrities, including
Pixie McKenna Bernadette Anne McKenna, (born 20 January 1971) also known as Dr. Pixie McKenna, is an Irish doctor and television personality. She currently runs a clinic in Cork, Ireland and is best known for her work on the Channel 4 series ''Embarrassing Il ...
, Dawn Harper, and
Christian Jessen Christian Spencer Jessen (born 4 March 1977) is a British celebrity doctor, television personality, and writer. He is best known for appearing in the Channel 4 programmes ''Embarrassing Bodies'' (2007–2015) and '' Supersize vs Superskinny'' (2 ...
.


References


External links

* {{cite web , title=Life Matters: Health Matters: beware the celebrity doctor? (Downloadable audio) , url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/health-matters3a-celebrity-doctors/6419802 , publisher=ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) , language=en-AU , date=27 April 2015 Medical anthropology