Misleading: Rand Paul v. Deborah Birx Medical Knowledge
The Claim
Senator Rand Paul has more credentials than Dr. Deborah Birx, who is on the coronavirus task force.
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Emerging story
The National File – an alt-right website – argued that Dr. Deborah Birx has fewer qualifications than Paul, as she does not have a medical license.
In November and December 2020, the claim went viral on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
Senator Rand Paul sometimes claims that, due to his prior experience in the medical field as an eye doctor, he is an “outsider” politician. He does so to appeal to populists, who are, by nature, against so-called elite career politicians. Subsequently, many of Paul’s detractors have scrutinized his medical qualifications, some of which claim that he is not a “real doctor.”
Paul was certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) and remained so for roughly a decade. He later “took a stand" against the ABO and formed his own board certification with many other young eye doctors. Some assert that he isn’t a real eye doctor as a result, but he says that he could become ABO certified at any time.
Misbar’s investigation found that Dr. Birx doesn’t have a license to practice medicine, as she let it expire in 2014. This may be due to her opting to take the position of US Global AIDS Coordinator in 2014, as appointed by Barrack Obama. She was also director of the CDC from 1996 to 2005.
However, Birx is also board certified, unlike Paul. While Paul may indeed be a real doctor, it’s clear that he does not have the same level of expertise as Birx, especially when dealing with a global health crisis.
