Sanjay Gupta | |
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.jpg) Gupta in 2021 | |
| Born | (1969-10-23)October 23, 1969 (age 56) Novi, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | University of Michigan (BS,MD) |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Mother | Damyanti Gupta |
| Family | Suneel Gupta (brother) |
Sanjay Gupta (born October 23, 1969) is an Americanneurosurgeon,medical reporter, and writer. He serves as an associate chief of the neurosurgery service atGrady Memorial Hospital inAtlanta, Georgia, an associate professor ofneurosurgery at theEmory University School of Medicine, a member of theNational Academy of Medicine,[1] a member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences,[2] and the chief medical correspondent forCNN.
Gupta is known for his many television appearances on health-related issues. During theCOVID-19 pandemic, he has been a frequent contributor to numerous CNN shows covering the crisis, as well as hosting a weekly town hall withAnderson Cooper.[3] Gupta was the host of the CNN showSanjay Gupta MD for which he has won multipleEmmy Awards. Gupta also hosted the 6-part miniseriesChasing Life. He is a frequent contributor to other CNN programs such asAmerican Morning,Larry King Live,CNN Tonight, andAnderson Cooper 360°. His reports fromCharity Hospital,New Orleans, Louisiana, in the wake ofHurricane Katrina led to his winning a 2006 Emmy Award forOutstanding Feature Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast. He is also a special correspondent forCBS News.
Sanjay Gupta also co-hosts the health conference Life Itself, along withMarc Hodosh (co-creator ofTEDMED).[4] Gupta published a column inTime magazine and has written four books:Chasing Life,Cheating Death,Monday Mornings: A Novel, andKeep Sharp (January 2021).[5][6][7]
Gupta was born inNovi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. In the 1960s, Gupta's parents, Subhash andDamyanti Gupta (née Hingorani), both moved fromIndia prior to their marriage and met inLivonia, Michigan, where they worked as engineers forFord Motor Company.[8][9][10] His mother was born in the village of Tharushah inSindh (now Pakistan), but at age 5 fled toBaroda, India, as aHindu refugee during thePartition of India.[11][10] Gupta and his younger brotherSuneel graduated fromNovi High School; Gupta went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree inbiomedical sciences at theUniversity of Michigan inAnn Arbor, and hisM.D. degree from theUniversity of Michigan Medical School in 1993. He was part of Inteflex, a since-discontinued accelerated medical education program that accepted medical students directly from high school.
As an undergraduate, Gupta worked as an orientation leader for the first-year orientation program and was a member of the Men's Glee Club. He also served as president of the Indian American Students Association (IASA), one of the university's larger student organization.[12] Gupta completed his residency in neurological surgery within the University of Michigan Health System in 2000, followed by a fellowship at the Semmes Murphy Clinic, in Memphis, Tennessee.[13] Gupta plays theaccordion, having taken ten years of lessons, as he noted in an interview with David Hochman forPlayboy.[14]
Gupta was aWhite House Fellow in 1997–1998.
Gupta is anEmory Healthcare general neurosurgeon atGrady Memorial Hospital and has worked on spine, trauma, and 3‑D‑image-guided operations. He has published medical journal articles onpercutaneouspedicle screw placement,[16][17] brain tumors, and spinal cord abnormalities.[18][19] He is licensed to practice medicine inGeorgia.[20] From 1997 to 1998, he served as one of fifteenWhite House Fellows, primarily as an advisor toHillary Clinton. In January 2009, it was reported that Gupta was offered the position ofSurgeon General of the United States in theObama Administration,[21] but he withdrew his name from consideration.[22]
During his reporting in Haiti following theJanuary 2010 earthquake, Gupta received a call from theaircraft carrierUSSCarl Vinson that an earthquake victim, a 12-year-old girl, was aboard and needed a neurosurgeon. Gupta, apediatric surgeon,Henri Ford, and twoU.S. Navy doctors removed a piece of concrete from the girl's skull in an operation performed aboard theVinson.[23][24] Ford later wrote that Gupta "proved to be a competent neurosurgeon".[25]
Gupta joined CNN in the summer of 2001. He reported from New York following the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.[5] In 2003, Gupta traveled to Iraq to cover the medical aspects of theinvasion of Iraq. While in Iraq, Gupta performed emergency surgery on both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians.[26] Gupta was embedded with aNavy medical unit at the time, specifically a group ofCorpsman called the "Devil Docs", who supported the1st Marine Expeditionary Force.[27]Marine Sergeant Jesus Vindaña suffered a rear gunshot wound, and the Marines asked for Gupta's assistance because of his background in neurosurgery. Vindaña survived and was sent back to the United States for rehabilitation.[26]In December 2006, CBS News presidentSean McManus negotiated a deal with CNN that would have Gupta file up to ten reports a year for theCBS Evening News with Katie Couric and60 Minutes while remaining CNN's chief medical correspondent and associate chief of neurosurgery atGrady Memorial Hospital.
On October 14, 2007, Gupta guest-hosted a health episode ofCBS News Sunday Morning as its regular hostCharles Osgood was on vacation. In February 2009, Gupta hostedAC360 covering the White House Health Summit. He also guest-hostedLarry King Live in October 2009. In January 2010, Gupta and Cooper led CNN's coverage of the earthquake inHaiti. Gupta has regularly appeared on theLate Show with David Letterman,[28]The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,[29]The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,[30]Real Time with Bill Maher andthe Oprah Winfrey Show.[31] Winfrey referred to Gupta as CNN's hero in January 2010.[32]
In 2011, Gupta portrayed himself in the movieContagion, which has received much renewed attention during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[33] His novelMonday Mornings became an instantNew York Times bestseller on its release in March 2012. It was adapted as a 2013television series withDavid E. Kelley and Gupta serving as executive producers. In a 2013 editorial, Gupta announced that in the process of working on a documentary aboutmarijuana, he had changed his mind about the drug'srisks and benefits. Gupta had previously criticized laws that allowed patient access tomedical marijuana, but he reversed his stance, saying, "I am here to apologize," and, "We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that."[34] The third part of his 3-hour documentary, "Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution", was released in April 2015.[35][36] He was a co-producer of the 2017 CNN documentaryUnseen Enemy, which warned of the risks of a global pandemic.[37]
Gupta served as a commentator on theUniversity of Michigan TeamCast with former Wolverines kickerJay Feely for the school's appearance in the2018 NCAA Men's Final Four, which aired on CNN siblingTNT.[38] In April 2019,Chasing Life was adapted as a six-show TV miniseries onCNN that took him to Japan,India,Bolivia,Norway, Italy, andTurkey.[39] In September 2019, Gupta andMarc Hodosh (Co-Creator of TEDMED) announced a new event called Life Itself in partnership with CNN. Both Gupta and Hodosh will serve as hosts and organizers.[4] From June 28 to July 9, 2021, Gupta served as a guest host onJeopardy!.[40]
On January 6, 2009, CNN announced that Gupta had been considered for the position ofSurgeon General by President-electBarack Obama.[41] Some doctors said his communication skills and high profile would allow him to highlight medical issues and prioritize medical reform. Others raised concerns about potentialconflicts of interest with drug companies that have sponsored his broadcasts and his lack of skepticism in weighing the costs and benefits of medical treatments.[42] RepresentativeJohn Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), wrote a letter opposing Gupta's nomination. Conyers supported asingle-payer health care system; Gupta has criticized Michael Moore and his filmSicko.[43]
From the medical community, Donna Wright, of Creative Health Care Management, a regular commentator on medicine and politics, also defended the appointment on the grounds of his media presence, combined with his medical qualifications, which she viewed as an ideal combination for the post of surgeon general.[44] Likewise,Fred Sanfilippo, executive vice president for health affairs atEmory University, supported Gupta's nomination by issuing a press release saying: "He has the character, training, intelligence and communications skills needed to help the United States improve its health and health care delivery systems in the next Administration."[45] TheAmerican Council on Exercise, listed byPR Newswire as "America's leading authority on fitness and one of the largest fitness certification, education and training organizations in the world", endorsed the nomination of Gupta"because of his passion for inspiring Americans to lead healthier, more active lives". The ACE sent a letter of support to senatorEdward M. Kennedy.[46] Former surgeon generalJoycelyn Elders also supported Gupta's nomination, saying: "He has enough well-trained, well-qualified public health people to teach him the things he needs to do the job."[47] In March 2009 Gupta withdrew his name from consideration for the post, citing his family and his career.[22]
Some journalists and journalism professors specializing in health care have criticized the quality of Gupta's coverage. Trudy Lieberman, a regularNation contributor on healthcare and director of the health and medicine reporting program at theCUNYGraduate School of Journalism,[48] reviewed Gupta's "ineptitude" in reporting on theMcCain health plan. Lieberman criticized Gupta for relying on insurance industry statistics, and a health expert quoted by Lieberman said that Gupta's reporting "gives a gross oversimplification".[49] Gary Schwitzer, professor of health journalism at theUniversity of Minnesota School of Journalism and now an editor atHealth News Review, has also criticized Gupta's reporting.[50][51] In 2023, it was reported that books co-authored by Gupta and ghostwriterKristin Loberg contained plagiarized material.[52]
Peter Aldhous criticized Gupta's "enthusiasm for many forms ofmedical screening – even when the scientific evidence indicates that it may not benefit patients". He and other medical journalists accuse him of a "pro-screening bias" in promoting widespreadelectrocardiogram andprostate cancer screening, even though medical authorities like theUS Preventive Services Task Force recommend against it.[53]
A July 9, 2007, broadcast of CNN'sThe Situation Room aired a fact-check segment by Gupta onMichael Moore's 2007 filmSicko in which Gupta stated that Moore had "fudged facts".[54] Immediately following the segment, Moore was interviewed live on CNN byWolf Blitzer. Moore said that Gupta's report was inaccurate and biased, and Moore later posted a detailed response on his website.[55] Moore accused CNN of being biased in favor of the drug industry because most of the sponsors for their medical coverage were drug companies.
On July 10, 2007, Gupta debated Moore onLarry King Live; on July 15, CNN released a statement in response to Michael Moore's rebuttal.[56] In it, they apologized for an error in their on-air report, having stated that in the film Moore reported Cuba spends $25 per person for health care when the film actually gave that number as $251. CNN attributed this to a transcription error. CNN defended the rest of Gupta's report, responding point-by-point to Moore's response, contending that the comparison of data from different sources in different years was in effectcherry picking results, at the cost of statistical accuracy.
On April 28, 2012, Gupta was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his accomplishments in the medical field. He also gave the commencement address at the spring commencement ceremony held in theUniversity of Michigan Stadium.[57] On March 20, 2015, Gupta along with his wife, Rebecca, received the 2015 UNICEF Global Philanthropist Award. On June 12, 2016, Gupta addressed theOregon Health & Science University graduating class of 2016. On May 23, 2019, Gupta presented the commencement address to theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine class of 2019.[58] In October 2019, Gupta was elected to theNational Academy of Medicine, to join its 2019 class consisting of 100 members, one of the highest honors in medicine.[59] Gupta was elected as a member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.[60] On October 6, 2022, Gupta was honored with the Fitzwater Medallion for Leadership in Public Communication byFranklin Pierce University.[61] On May 22, 2023, Gupta delivered Baylor College of Medicine’s commencement address and was awarded the honorary Doctor of Letters in Medicine degree. On May 25, 2023, Gupta was the featured keynote speaker at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class Day commencement ceremony.
2006: He received an Emmy Award for his "Charity Hospital" coverage on Anderson Cooper 360°, highlighting the dire conditions in a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina.[62]
2010: Gupta was honored with multiple Emmy Awards for his reporting on the devastating earthquake in Haiti, where he not only covered the event but also provided critical medical assistance.[63]
2005: Gupta played an integral role in CNN's coverage of Hurricane Katrina, which won a Peabody award for its comprehensive and impact full reporting.[64]
2010: His reporting on the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster was part of CNN's coverage that received a Peabody Award, recognizing the depth and quality of their journalism.[63]
2005: Gupta's coverage of the Southeast Asia tsunami in Sri Lanka contributed to CNN's receipt of this prestigious award, often regarded as the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.[65][62]
2015: The CNN documentary "Weed: Dr Sanjay Gupta Reports" was named one of the 14 winners of the 2015 awards for excellence in broadcast, digital and documentary news.
2006: He was honored with four National Headliner Awards, recognizing his excellence in journalism and storytelling.[66]
2022: Gupta was selected to receive the award in recognition of individuals for outstanding journalistic service. The award comes from a vote of the trustees of the Foundation, entitled from its namesake.[67]
Gupta is married to Rebecca Olson, afamily law attorney. They have three daughters.[68][69][70] Gupta wrote a book calledWorld War C: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One about theCOVID-19 pandemic.
{{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help)The Obama transition team approached Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, about becoming U.S. surgeon general, according to sources inside the transition and at CNN.
The pair raised questions about drug-company sponsorship of some programs Gupta hosted [...] and [...] urged careful examination of any potential conflicts of interest.
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| Preceded by | Guest host ofJeopardy! June 28 - July 9, 2021 | Succeeded by |