President Joe Biden’s personal physician met with a Parkinson’s disease specialist affiliated with Walter Reed Medical Center earlier this year, White House visitor records show.
White House physician Kevin O’Connor met with Parkinson’s specialist Kevin Cannard and two other doctors at the White House in January, according to visitor logs, the Washington Post reported. New York Post. Cannard is a longtime neurologist at Walter Reed and a specialist in movement disorders.
Walter Reed cardiologist John Atwood also attended the January meeting. It’s unclear who the fourth participant was. Both doctors declined to comment to The Post.
“A wide range of Walter Reed specialists visit the White House complex to treat thousands of service members who work there,” a White House spokesman told the newspaper.
Cannard co-authored a paper published last year on the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and is actively researching the disease with partners at Vanderbilt University, according to his profile on Doximity, a social network for medical professionals.
Parkinson’s symptoms typically include movement problems, tremors, impaired balance and speech changes, according to the Mayo Clinic, one of the largest medical research centers in the United States. Symptoms develop over time and often start on one side of the body.
After Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate last month, O’Connor was again scrutinized for her handling of Biden’s health. In the debate, Biden often slurred his words and struggled to form coherent sentences as he faced off against an uncharacteristically restrained version of former President Donald Trump.
After the debate, Democrats openly panicked about the future of Biden’s candidacy, and numerous news stories emerged detailing Biden’s age-related struggles. Some Democrats publicly called for him to step aside or strongly considered doing so with the party convention fast approaching.
The White House said Friday (5) that Biden recently spoke with O’Connor about the cold he claimed to be suffering from during the debate, an issue unknown before the event began. Days earlier, the White House said Biden had not undergone any medical tests since Biden’s annual physical in February.
O’Connor and the entire White House medical team determined that Biden was fit for office based on the results of the physical exam and ruled out the possibility that Biden had Parkinson’s. The physical exam did not appear to include a cognitive test.
To allay any suspicions, CNN medical analyst Sanjay Gupta is calling for Biden to undergo a detailed neurological exam and release the results. Gupta expressed concern about Biden’s apparent confusion, inability to concentrate and open-mouthed facial expression.
Joe Biden’s highly anticipated interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday failed to allay widespread concerns about his age and mental capacity. During the interview, Biden vehemently rejected the possibility of receiving an independently administered cognitive test and claimed the debate was simply a “bad night.”