There’s a notable history of doctors entering the U.S. Senate. For instance, Sen. John Barrasso, an orthopedic surgeon, once led surgery at Wyoming Medical Center. Another example is Senator Bill Cassidy, who is a gastroenterologist and co-founded a clinic aimed at helping those in need. Then there’s Senator Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist with nearly 20 years of practice, and Senator Roger Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has delivered over 5,000 babies. Perhaps the most remarkable among them is U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, a heart surgeon who completed more than 150 heart and lung transplants, established the Vanderbilt Multiorgan Transplant Center, and served in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007, including a stint as Senate Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007.
All of these skilled physicians share a profound understanding of human nature, along with qualities like compassion, sound judgment, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Those traits are pretty essential for a U.S. senator, too.
This might shed some light on the current scrutiny surrounding Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s claim to be a doctor in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. This issue is more than just political drama.
Recently, left-wing host Mehdi Hasan questioned El-Sayed during an interview, highlighting concerns about his claim to a medical identity without a valid medical license in the state.
Hasan asked, “Do you think you should have continued to call yourself a doctor to avoid such controversy and attacks on your status as a doctor?” I have to admit, I’ve held a medical role for quite some time, and I take that seriously. I find Hasan’s questions to be valid, and El-Sayed’s usage of the term “physician” certainly warrants a closer look.
El-Sayed graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and has a PhD in public health from Oxford. However, while these credentials make him a physician and epidemiologist, they don’t confer the ability to practice medicine. The essential distinction here is that he does not actively treat patients.
In many states, including New York, licensing boards would argue that you can’t call yourself a doctor without a license to practice. I think this point is important; being a physician isn’t just about earning a degree. It’s about actively participating in patient care or investigating potential tests and treatments as a physician-scientist.
That said, I’ll acknowledge that El-Sayed has a solid educational background. His role as executive director of the Detroit Health Department and his various academic positions at Michigan State and Harvard demonstrate his qualifications. Still, they don’t equate to being a practicing doctor.
The American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics emphasizes that the term “physician” dates back to ancient Greece, meaning someone engaged in studying nature. While traditional healers looked for physical causes of illnesses, Hippocratic physicians viewed illnesses as part of a broader natural order.
Mr. El-Sayed advocates strongly for Medicare for All and has authored “Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide.” However, his comment about not answering to insurance companies due to a lack of direct financial ties feels somewhat insincere. It’s through competing with private and public insurers to deliver costly, innovative treatments that I’ve come to truly understand Medicare’s functionality and its limitations.
Having doctors in the Senate, both past and present, sets a challenging standard. The first step toward that benchmark? Well, perhaps it begins with being transparent about one’s medical qualifications.
