Dr. Oz Joins Donald Trump's Cabinet — but Does He Still Have a Valid Medical License?

President-elect Donald Trump is in the process of filling out his cabinet with some highly controversial picks. Among the most criticized are former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Nov. 19, 2024, Trump announced his intention to nominate celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. While this decision has sparked outrage, some are asking the big question: Has Dr. Oz lost his medical license? Here's what we know.

Although he stopped performing surgeries in 2018, Dr. Oz still holds an active medical license. According to the state's online database via ABC News, it will remain valid in Pennsylvania until the end of 2024.

Dr. Oz kicked off his medical career with a residency at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City in 1986. Just nine years later, he co-founded the Cardiac Complementary Care Center with Jerry Whitworth, where they offered alternative treatments for heart disease patients.

However, Dr. Oz's promotion of pseudoscientific therapies, like therapeutic touch, caused severe tension with hospital leadership, who were alarmed by his methods. He eventually dropped the controversial practice.

He gained even more attention after successfully performing a heart transplant for Frank Torre, the brother of then-New York Yankees manager Joe Torre. But his desire for fame ruffled feathers within his own team.

By 2000, Jerry Whitworth left the center, which Oz then relaunched as the Cardiovascular Institute and Integrative Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he served as director.

Dr. Oz's rise to fame continued with a five-season run as a health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2009, Oprah helped him launch The Dr. Oz Show, which became a platform for his often controversial health advice. The series ended on Jan. 14, 2022.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Oz's influence over then-President Trump's decisions became clear as he emerged as an informal advisor to the Trump administration.

Throughout March and April 2020, Dr. Oz promoted hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, as a potential cure for COVID-19. However, by June, the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine, claiming it was ineffective while also citing the risks associated with the drug.

In April 2020, Oz stirred outrage during an appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity when he suggested that the potential deaths from reopening all the schools might be a worthwhile "tradeoff" for the sake of the economy. Citing a study from The Lancet, Dr. Oz claimed that reopening schools might only cause an additional 2–3 percent in mortality.

His remarks were obviously met with intense backlash, and Oz later apologized, claiming he had misspoken and stressing that his goal was to get children "safely back to school."

During his Senate campaign, Dr. Oz also made headlines with his strong opposition to vaccine mandates and abortion. He openly supported the reversal of the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, arguing that "life starts at conception."

He did express exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life was at risk.

This stance marked a sharp contrast to his previous support for abortion rights before 2019. Nevertheless, it's important to note that Dr. Oz had always felt a personal discomfort with the procedure, citing the traumatic results of illegal abortions he witnessed during his medical school years.