Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul el Sayed frequently touts his credentials as a physician, though records indicate he has little history practicing medicine.
State medical licensing records in both Michigan and New York do not show Abdul el Sayed ever holding a physician’s license in either state, according to a new report from Politico.
In a 2022 podcast interview, el Sayed described the extent of his direct patient-care experience as a four-week sub-internship at a small Manhattan hospital near the end of medical school, joking that his role was to be “the worst doctor on the team” and likening the experience to “cosplaying a doctor.”
El Sayed continues to publicly identify himself as a physician, including on his LinkedIn page. During a debate hosted by the Council of Baptist Pastors in Detroit last month, he introduced himself to the audience as “a physician and epidemiologist.”
El Sayed’s academic background is deeply rooted in medicine and public health. After studying at the University of Michigan Medical School, he earned his M.D. from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, later completing a doctorate in public health at Oxford University. He also spent time teaching epidemiology at Columbia before returning to Michigan to lead Detroit’s health department as its executive director and health officer.
Questions surrounding el Sayed’s use of the physician title surfaced years ago during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, when Crain’s Detroit Business reported that he publicly identified as a doctor despite not holding a Michigan medical license.
Throughout the campaign, el Sayed has frequently leaned on his medical background as a central part of his political identity, regularly emphasizing his medical training and allowing introductions referring to him as a physician to go unchallenged.
During an April television interview, he repeatedly referenced his experience as a physician, and in earlier appearances that year, he described firsthand experience in medical emergencies and portrayed medicine as the defining profession of his career.
Michigan law bars individuals from representing themselves in a way that would lead others to believe they are licensed or authorized to practice medicine if they do not hold a valid medical license.
El Sayed’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner. Responding to questions from Politico, campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner defended el Sayed’s use of the title “doctor,” saying he had earned it “twice over.” However, the campaign did not directly answer inquiries about why he has publicly referred to himself as a physician. In past comments, el Sayed has said his experiences in medical school led him away from practicing medicine and toward focusing on large-scale public health challenges instead of patient care.
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Republicans quickly seized on the report. “Michigan’s Democrat Senate primary is such a mess that the guy cosplaying as an Egyptian citizen and licensed physician is still beating Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate,” NRSC Regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Polling shows a tightly contested three-way Democratic primary between Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and el Sayed, who has gained traction in recent months.