I'm Mehmet Oz. I'm a cardiac surgeon. I also host The Dr. Oz Show. I don't know what I'm famous for. I guess it's for raising four kids.
Could you tell us about your charity?
I'm playing for HealthCorps, which is an organization just like the Peace Corps, that--that takes these young, energetic college graduates and instead of sending them off to other countries to help them deal with their issues, we put them in high schools in America. And they serve as mentors, and they teach kids that they can control their own bodies, that they can begin to be more resilient in how they think about the problems of the world, and by changing what's going on inside of them, they begin to change the world outside of them.
What impact would $50,000 have on your charity?
Having $50,000, which is the kind donation that Jeopardy!'s willing to offer for these wonderful kids, allows us to go into--to schools that we never would have been able to touch, and to influence thousands of kids who otherwise sort of get been left behind. I think it's a wonderful way to use this money, uh, to make this country a better place.
As a medical professional, do you have an edge on the competition?
Well, as a medical professional, in theory I might have an edge, but the reality is, when you train in medicine, you have to lop out other parts of your life. So what I've learned more than anything else watching Jeopardy! for most of my life is there's some categories that I'm really bad at. My wife reminded me of some of them before I came down. There's some categories I might do well in. Obviously the sciences. Uh, I love history, I'm not bad at geography. But don't ask me any pop culture questions, because I'm usually in the operating room doing stuff when those--those shows are on the air.
Do you have any fears going into the game?
I'm not from Washington, so I--I'm not part of the society here, but I gotta say, it's really intimidating having all these Power Players around me. What I love the most is everyone's bonding together. I'm getting, actually, some tips from some of my opponents, who are trying to make sure I don't look too bad. And I think that--that at the end of it all, we're here to celebrate a wonderful opportunity, which is to improve our brains, play a wonderful game of Jeopardy!, and help a lot of people through the charities we support. |
"He is a renowned cardiac surgeon who has written seven New York Times best sellers, and is the host of an Emmy-winning daytime talk show. Please welcome..."
2012 Power Players Week player (2012-05-16).
Playing for HealthCorps.
Dr. Oz, two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning host of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning The Dr. Oz Show, is Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and health care policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books, has received several patents, and performs more than 100 heart surgeries per year.
Dr. Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Delaware and received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University (1982) and obtained a joint MD and MBA (1986) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School. He was awarded the Captain's Athletic Award for leadership in college and was Class President followed by President of the Student Body during medical school. He lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife Lisa of 26 years and their four children, Daphne, Arabella, Zoe and Oliver.
Previously, Dr. Oz was a featured health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show for over five seasons, spanning 55 episodes. He has also served as chief medical consultant to Discovery Communications, where his Transplant! series won both a Freddie and a Silver Telly award. In addition to numerous appearances on Good Morning America, he has also appeared on the Today show, Larry King Live, The View, guest-hosted the Charlie Rose show and appeared on all the evening news broadcasts. He also served as medical director of Denzel Washington's John Q and participated in several other feature films.
Dr. Oz authored seven New York Times Best Sellers, including You: The Owner's Manual, You: The Smart Patient, You: On a Diet, You: Staying Young, You: Being Beautiful, You: Having a Baby, You: The Owner's Manual for Teens, as well as the award-winning Healing from the Heart. He has a regular column in O, The Oprah Magazine, Time and AARP, and his article Retool, Reboot, and Rebuild for Esquire magazine was awarded the 2009 National Magazine Award for Personal Service.
In addition to belonging to every major professional society for heart surgeons, Dr. Oz was named Forbes' #3 most influential celebrity (2010-2011), has been honored as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People (2008), Esquire magazine's 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century, a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum (1999-2004), and "The Harvard 100 Most Influential Alumni" in the 02138 magazine, as well as receiving the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2008). He won the prestigious Gross Surgical Research Scholarship, and he has received an honorary doctorate from Istanbul University. He was voted "The Best and Brightest" by Esquire magazine, a "Doctor of the Year" by Hippocrates magazine and "Healer of the Millennium" by Healthy Living magazine. Dr. Oz is annually elected as a highest quality physician by the Castle Connolly Guide as well as other major ranking groups.
Online Information:
Show: www.doctoroz.com
Twitter: twitter.com/droz
Facebook: facebook.com/droz |
