The acclaimed teaching hospital Columbia University Irving Medical Center has quietly removed from its website mentions of Mehmet Oz, the former celebrity TV doctor who is running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Trump-backed Republican.
All that remains of the facility’s longtime ties to the controversial surgeon is a faculty listing that notes Mr. Oz as a “special lecturer” after his faculty page and other mentions of him were taken down, The Daily Beast reported.
Critics have long called for Columbia to sever its ties with Mr. Oz, who was once the vice chair of surgery and director of integrated medicine. The university reportedly changed his status to “professor emeritus” in 2018 before almost entirely scrubbing his presence from the website in January.
Mr. Oz, who’s been endorsed by former President Donald Trump over the wishes of his allies, is part of a competitive primary race to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
He has become an increasingly controversial figure over the years due to dubious stances on health issues and products.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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