Mehmet Oz Fired from Columbia University? The Truth Behind the Faculty Feud

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A group of 10 doctors have reportedly demanded the removal of TV celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz from Columbia University faculty.

Dr. Oz, the host of "The Dr. Oz Show," was accused of promoting "quack treatments," according to CBS New York.

The group of doctors have called the attention of the university for Dr. Oz's "egregious lack of integrity" in a letter addressed to Dr. Lee Goldman, the dean of Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine in Columbia:

"We are surprised and dismayed that Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons would permit Dr. Mehmet Oz to occupy a faculty appointment, let alone a senior administrative position in the Department of Surgery.

"As described here and here, as well as in other publications, 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 judgements about what constitutes appropriate medical treatments, or both. Whatever the nature of his pathology, members of the public are being misled and endangered, which makes Dr. Oz's presence on the faculty of a prestigious medical institution unacceptable."

The author of the letter, Dr. Henry I. Miller from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, told CBS New York that he sees Dr. Oz as "a person who endangers patients and is a menace to public health should not be on the faculty of a prestigious medical institution."

In a statement, Columbia University responded by saying that Dr. Oz had "academic freedom" to make statements for public discussion. According to LA Times, this is not the first time that Dr. Oz has been criticized by the medical community. Last June, he was called before Congress for allegedly misleading consumers of the "magic[al]" results brought upon by a weight-loss product "green coffee."

The TV celebrity doctor defended himself by saying that he was only introducing his viewers to "different ways they can rethink their future," referring to alternative treatment, CBS New York noted.

The controversy still continued after the doctor gave his testimony. The weight-loss benefits claim of the product turned out to be based on false data and were retracted. A settlement of $3.5 million was paid by the company which produced the "magic" diet supplement for false advertising.

Dr. Oz became a household name after frequently guesting on Oprah Winfrey's show. CBS New York reported that he is the vice chair of Columbia's surgery department and occasionally teaches.