Joe Biden's osteopathic doctor pleads the Fifth on mental acuity: DO vs MD
O'Connor sat down for a closed-door interview on Wednesday with committee staff and panel chair James Comer, R-Ky. — but O'Connor invoked the Fifth Amendment to all questions, save for his name, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
In the wake of this, many people have been wondering: What's the difference between a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and a doctor of medicine (MD)?
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News' senior medical analyst, confirmed that the capabilities of both a DO and an MD are the same, even when it comes to acknowledging mental decline or diagnosing and screening for prostate cancer.
"He's a DO and he's a family practitioner," said Siegel. "With that training, he should know how to screen for prostate cancer."
Training as a DO should not "take away" from medical training or medical education, said Siegel, who's an internist — it only adds osteopathic methods such as manipulative treatment.
"I'm trained to be able to suss out cognitive decline," said Siegel. "I'm not a specialist in that, but I can certainly screen for that. And so should a family practitioner who went to osteopathic school."
He added, "He's a guy who should say, 'Hey, [Biden's] got some cognitive decline. Let me get a neurologist in here.'"
As a White House physician, O'Connor's responsibility was to address the medical needs of the president.
But DOs have more of a focus on the "mind, body, spirit connection," according to Cleveland Clinic.
MDs and DOs have similar schooling, do the same jobs, can prescribe medicine and practice anywhere in the country. Still, DOs approach medicine more holistically, according to the same source.
Cleveland Clinic defines osteopathic medicine as treating patients as a whole and improving wellness through education and prevention.
DOs also receive extra training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is a hands-on method for treating and diagnosing patients.
This alternative training and approach don't define a doctor's practice, as DOs use "all types of modern medical treatments," according to Cleveland Clinic — while MDs can also provide whole-person, preventive care.
DO training was first developed in 1892 by physician Andrew Taylor Still, MD, who changed his philosophy of medicine after the Civil War, the same source noted.
He believed traditional medicine to treat spinal meningitis, which killed three of his children, was ineffective — and developed the concept of osteopathic medicine.
In the U.S., as of 2023, there were 154 allopathic medical schools – using medication, surgery and other interventions to treat illnesses – and 38 otheopathic medicine schools, according to Cleveland Clinic.
A 2024 report from the American Osteopathic Association found that 57% of DOs practice family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics — compared to 28% of MDs.
The number of DOs in the U.S. has been on the rise in the last decade, according to the same report.
Nearly 70% of DOs in active practice are under age 45 — and 45% are female.
Several U.S. presidents have been under the care of osteopathic physicians in recent years.
O'Connor was appointed by Biden in 2021, serving until March 2025 in the role of White House physician.
Dr. Sean Barbabella, DO, stepped into the role that same month. He is a decorated Navy physician who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Before becoming physician to President Donald Trump, Barbabella ran the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, according to multiple sources.
Dr. Sean Conley, DO, served as a physician to Trump during his first term, from 2018 to 2021.
House GOP members, including Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House doctor himself, continue to investigate accusations that Biden's former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president's full knowledge.
Biden allies have been pushing back on those claims.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.
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