Abdul El-Sayed’s Medical Claims Under Scrutiny

Abdul El-Sayed, an Egyptian-American Muslim Democrat running for the Michigan Senate, claims to be a doctor, though reports indicate he lacks medical licenses in both Michigan and New York.

In a recent interview, El-Sayed stated that he has been a “physician” his “entire career,” and he portrays himself as such on his LinkedIn profile. However, a review by politiko showed that he has “never been licensed to practice medicine in those states.”

The investigation found that while El-Sayed attended the University of Michigan Medical School and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, he still isn’t licensed to practice medicine. He also reportedly has a “doctoral degree in public health from the University of Oxford.”

On his LinkedIn page, El-Sayed identifies as a “physician,” and he referred to himself as a “physician and epidemiologist” during a Baptist Ministers Council debate in Detroit last month. Despite this, the review revealed he was not licensed to practice in Michigan or New York.

El-Sayed’s direct experience in treating patients appears to be limited to a brief clinical rotation, described as a four-week sub-internship at a small hospital in Manhattan where, interestingly, he admitted he was “cosplaying as a doctor.”

This investigation arises as El-Sayed has “made his medical qualifications a key part of his appeal” in his campaign for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Gary Peters.

Roxy Richner, El-Sayed’s spokeswoman, responded by stating that he has “earned the right to be called ‘doctor’ twice.” She elaborated that his campaign highlights his experiences treating homeless women for various health issues during his sub-internship. Notably, he later encountered one of those women on the subway, realizing that his path wasn’t solely about practicing medicine.

“Rather than this being a nasty attack, this is an origin story for Dr. El-Sayed,” Richner added.

Previously, in a 2018 interview with Crain’s Detroit Business, El-Sayed expressed that he believed there are “many ways to work as a doctor.” He emphasizes that his ongoing work aligns with the “core and spirit of medicine.” “I believe that the work that I have done and continue to do is true to the core and spirit of medicine,” he stated. “And when I took the Hippocratic Oath, it’s an oath that still guides my work.”