Oz, Mehmet C. 1960–

(Mehmet Cengiz Oz)

PERSONAL: Born June 11, 1960, in Cleveland, OH; son of Mustafa and Suna (Atabay) Oz; married; wife's name Lisa; children: four. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1982; University of Pennsylvania, M.D., M.B.A., 1986.

ADDRESSES: Office—New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, Milstein Hospital Bldg., Room 7 GN 435, 177 Fort Washington Ave., New York, NY 10032.

CAREER: Cardiac surgeon and writer. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY, chief resident of general surgery, 1990–91, cardiothoracic surgery resident, 1991–93; Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, attending surgeon, 1993–, Cardiovascular Institute director, 2001–, vice chairman of cardiovascular services, 2001–; Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY, professor of surgery, 2001–.

MEMBER: American Association of Thoracic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American College of Cardiology, American College of Cardiology, American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, Association for Academic Surgery, International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation, Turkish-American Physicians Association, American Heart Association, 21st Century Cardiac Surgical Society, Association of Turkish American Scientists, International Society for Optical Engineering, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American College of Angiology.

AWARDS, HONORS: Blakemore Research Prize, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, 1988–91; research award, American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery, 1991; named Turkish-American of the Year, Assembly of Turkish-American Associations, 1996; named Global Leader of Tomorrow, World Economic Forum, 1999; Books for a Better America Award, 1999, for Healing from the Heart.

WRITINGS:

(With Ron Arias and wife, Lisa Oz) Healing from the Heart: A Leading Heart Surgeon Explores the Power of Complementary Medicine, Dutton (New York, NY), 1998.

(Editor, with Daniel J. Goldstein) Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Humana Press (Totowa, NJ), 1999, 2nd edition, 2004.

(Editor, with Daniel J. Goldstein) Cardiac Assist Devices, Futura Publishing (Armonk, NY), 2000.

(Editor, with Richard A. Stein) Complementary and Alternative Cardiovascular Medicine, Humana Press (Totowa, NJ), 2004.

(With Michael F. Roizen) You—The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of over 350 articles to numerous professional journals and periodicals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Newsweek, Time, and O.

SIDELIGHTS: Mehmet C. Oz has worked as a cardiac surgeon for a number of years; he has held the positions of professor of surgery for the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Columbia University Medical Center, and attending surgeon at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. His clinical specialties include minimally invasive heart surgery and adult cardiac transplant, while his research interests include complementary medicine and heart replacement. Oz is also a prolific writer, publishing more than 350 articles and serving as a regular contributor to a number of professional and general-interest periodicals. He frequently speaks on health-related topics with network news programs and other media, and is an active member of several professional organizations.

Oz is also the author, coauthor, and editor of several books related to medicine and overall personal health. His first book, 1998's Healing from the Heart: A Leading Heart Surgeon Explores the Power of Complemen-tary Medicine, was cowritten with Ron Arias and Oz's wife, Lisa Oz; the book discusses the benefits of combining traditional and alternative forms of medicine in order to better serve patients. Oz also coedited two cardiac-related titles, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Cardiac Assist Devices, the latter with Daniel J. Goldstein. The author's work has been popular with a large mainstream audience. Oz's writing is "reader-friendly and amusing," wrote Library Journal contributor Barbara M. Bibel.

In 2005, Oz published the popular work You—The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger with coauthor and fellow physician Michael F. Roizen. Their book begins with a quiz that helps readers determine how much they actually know about the human body and how it works. Following chapters focus on specific body parts and systems, including the heart, brain, digestive system, and reproductive system. Helpful information, such as healthy habits and related diseases, augment each section. The book's tone is humorous, with colorful illustrations and cartoon figures accompanying the text. Also included is a food plan with recipes and an exercise plan outline.

Overall, reviewers and readers lauded the authors' work on You—The Owner's Manual. Many found the book's refreshing approach to medicine through humor to be an asset to the work. "This lighthearted book will be most useful to those who like their health lessons served with a side of humor," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. Other readers enjoyed the usefulness of the book's information and the down-to-earth language used throughout. You—The Owner's Manual is a "user-friendly medical guide that's not only crammed with practical advice, but also fun to read," observed a critic for the Saturday Evening Post.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America's Intelligence Wire, June 12, 2005, "Doctors Mehmet Oz, Michael Roizen Give Tips on Living Healthy."

Esquire, May, 2005, review of You—The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger, p. 77; June, 2005, Mehmet C. Oz, "Ask Dr. Oz," p. 80.

Library Journal, June 15, 2005, Barbara M. Bibel, review of You—The Owner's Manual, p. 92.

Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2005, review of You—The Owner's Manual, p. 47; August 1, 2005, Steven Zeitchik, "Them: The Shopping-It-Around Manual?," p. 10.

Saturday Evening Post, July-August, 2005, review of You—The Owner's Manual, p. 72.

Turkish Times, May, 2003, Erin M. Rada, "Dr. Mehmet Oz, Heart Surgeon with a Big Heart."

ONLINE

Columbia University Department of Surgery Web site, http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/ (September 27, 2005), professional information about Mehmet C. Oz.