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'{{short description|American physician and healthcare policy advisor}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Scott Atlas | image = Scott Atlas on Andy Biggs.jpg |alt = Atlas looking to the camera | caption = Atlas in 2020 | office = Special Advisor to the President | term_start = August 10, 2020 | term_end = December 1, 2020 | president = [[Donald Trump]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|7|5}} | birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], US | death_date = | death_place = | module = {{infobox scientist | embed = yes | fields = [[Health care]] | workplaces = [[Hoover Institution]]}} | education = [[University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[University of Chicago]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]]) }} '''Scott William Atlas''' (born July 5, 1955)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scott W. Atlas (Atlas, Scott W., 1955-) |url= http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Atlas,%20Scott%20W.,%201955-|access-date=August 31, 2020| website= onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu| publisher= University of Pennsylvania}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2019 |title=Resume |url= https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF14/20191210/110313/HHRG-116-IF14-Wstate-AtlasS-20191210-SD001.pdf |access-date=2020-12-01 |website= docs.house.gov| publisher= US House of Representatives }}</ref> is an American radiologist, political commentator, and health care policy advisor. He is a senior fellow at [[Stanford University|Stanford University's]] [[Hoover Institution]], a conservative think tank. From 1998 to 2012 he was a professor and chief of [[neuroradiology]] at the [[Stanford University Medical Center]].<ref name="Hoover">{{cite web| title= Scott W. Atlas—Hoover Institution Biography |website= hoover.org| url= https://www.hoover.org/profiles/scott-w-atlas |publisher=Hoover Institution }}</ref> Atlas was selected by President [[Donald Trump]] in August 2020 to serve as an advisor on the [[White House Coronavirus Task Force]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Varadarajan|first=Tuunku|date=September 4, 2020|title=Trump's Covid Adviser Gets a Washington Welcome|work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-covid-adviser-gets-a-washington-welcome-11599247413}}</ref> In that role, Atlas spread [[misinformation about COVID-19]],<ref name="AlbaLee">{{Cite web |last1=Alba |first1=Monica |last2=Lee |first2=Carol E. |title=Atlas on the outs with coronavirus task force but still pushing Trump's pandemic claims |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/atlas-outs-coronavirus-task-force-still-pushing-trump-s-pandemic-n1248258 |work=NBC News |quote=Atlas, has not attended White House task force meetings in person since late September, according to two administration officials, as he continues to spread misinformation about the worsening health crisis. ... The growing split between Atlas and task force leaders came after the group's leading medical experts — Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci — indicated that they did not appreciate Atlas' controversial input or contributions in the Situation Room gatherings. "That was done in deference to Fauci and Birx because they basically said they will not work with him," a senior administration official said about the adviser's absence at the meetings.}}</ref> including theories that [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|face masks]] and [[social distancing]] were not effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020|title=Trump's den of dissent: Inside the White House task force as coronavirus surges|work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-den-of-dissent-inside-the-white-house-task-force-as-coronavirus-surges/2020/10/19/7ff8ee6a-0a6e-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html}}</ref> His statements and influence on policies caused controversy on the task force.<ref name="Costa">{{cite news |last1= Abutaleb |first1= Yasmeen |last2= Rucker| first2= Phillip |last3= Dawsey| first3= Josh|last4=Costa|first4=Robert|date=October 19, 2020| title= Trump's den of dissent: Inside the White House task force as coronavirus surges |work= The Washington Post |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-den-of-dissent-inside-the-white-house-task-force-as-coronavirus-surges/2020/10/19/7ff8ee6a-0a6e-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html|access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Stolberg">{{cite news|last1=Stolberg|first1=Sheryl Gay| last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|last3=Weiland|first3=Noah|date=October 19, 2020|title=Trump Calls Fauci 'a Disaster' and Shrugs Off Virus as Infections Soar|work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/us/politics/trump-fauci-covid.html |access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Dawsey">{{cite news|last1=Dawsey|first1=Josh|last2=Abutaleb|first2=Yasmeen|date=October 31, 2020|title='A whole lot of hurt': Fauci warns of covid-19 surge, offers blunt assessment of Trump's response |work=The Washington Post |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fauci-covid-winter-forecast/2020/10/31/e3970eb0-1b8b-11eb-bb35-2dcfdab0a345_story.html|access-date= October 31, 2020}}</ref> Contrary to the recommendations of most of the scientific community,<ref name="abc1" /> Atlas pushed for establishing [[herd immunity]] through infection without mitigation<ref>{{cite interview| work= [[Tucker Carlson Tonight]] |date= June 29, 2020| title= Mixed messages: Corona deaths level off as cases surge| interviewer= [[Tucker Carlson]]| first= Scott |last= Atlas| publisher= Fox News Channel| quote= We like the fact that there's a lot of cases in low-risk populations because that's exactly how we're going to get herd immunity—population immunity—when low-risk people with no significant problem handling this virus, which is basically 99% of people, uh, get this, they become immune and they block the pathways of connectivity to contagiousness of older, sicker people.}}</ref> and a faster reopening of schools and businesses during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19]] pandemic.<ref name="Cook" /><ref name=":4" /> He advocated that states should not engage in [[COVID-19 testing]] of virus-exposed but asymptomatic individuals,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Avlon |first1=John |last2=Warren |first2=Michael |last3=Miller |first3=Brandon |title=Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/29/politics/atlas-desantis-testing-covid-florida/index.html |access-date=2020-10-29 |website=CNN}}</ref> and encouraged residents to resist or "rise up" against state restrictions adopted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.<ref name="LeBlanc"/> Atlas resigned from his position in the White House on November 30, 2020.<ref name="Resigns">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Kaitlan |last2=Acosta |first2=Jim |last3=Cole |first3=Devan |date=November 30, 2020 |title=Dr. Scott Atlas resigns from Trump administration |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/30/politics/scott-atlas-resigns-trump-administration-coronavirus-task-force/index.html }}</ref> ==Early life and education== Atlas received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in biology from the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]] and his MD from the [[Pritzker School of Medicine]] of the [[University of Chicago]].<ref name="Hoover"/> == Career == ===Medical=== From 1998 to 2012, Atlas was Professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at [[Stanford University Medical Center]] in [[California]]. He trained more than 100 neuroradiology fellows in his teaching career.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Scott W. Atlas' Profile |url=https://profiles.stanford.edu/Scott_Atlas |website=Stanford |language=en}}</ref> According to the [[American Board of Radiology]], he holds a valid board certification in diagnostic radiology, while his certification in neuroradiology lapsed in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Verify Board Certification Status |url=https://www.theabr.org/myabr/find-a-radiologist?fn=scott&ln=atlas |website=The American Board of Radiology |access-date=16 November 2020}}</ref> He is the editor of ''Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine'', a 2,000-page illustrated textbook with 83 contributors.<ref>{{Cite journal|publisher=American Society of Neuroradiology|date=May 1, 2009|title=Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine, 4th ed., Vol. 1 and 2|url=http://www.ajnr.org/content/30/5/e76|journal=American Journal of Neuroradiology|language=en|volume=30|issue=5|pages=e76–e77|doi=10.3174/ajnr.A1553|issn=0195-6108|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Alexander|first1=Joseph T.|last2=Hair|first2=Regis W.|date=October 1, 1997|title=Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine, Second Edition|url=https://academic.oup.com/neurosurgery/article/41/4/989/2915691|journal=Neurosurgery|language=en|volume=41|issue=4|pages=989–990|doi=10.1097/00006123-199710000-00053|issn=0148-396X}}</ref> He has also written four books on health care policy.<ref name="Hoover"/> ===Political=== Atlas is the Robert Wesson Senior Fellow at the [[Hoover Institution]], a conservative public policy think tank.<ref name=":7">{{cite web|last1=Do|first1=Huy M.|last2=Quencer|first2=Robert|date=September 1, 2003|title=Scott W. Atlas Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution|url=http://www.ajnr.org/content/24/8/1729|website=American Journal of Neuroradiology|pages=1729|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> He joined the Hoover Institution in 2003.<ref name=":7" /> He served as a senior advisor for health care to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential campaigns of [[Rudy Giuliani]] in 2008 and [[Mitt Romney]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Romney's new health care adviser once attacked 'Romneycare' |url=https://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/23/romneys-new-health-care-adviser-once-attacked-romneycare/ |website=[[CNN]] |date=March 23, 2012|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rudy Giuliani's health care proposal|url=https://pnhp.org/news/rudy-giulianis-health-care-proposal-2/|website=PNHP}}</ref> He has advocated eliminating the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]] and replacing it with modified tax deductions and incentives. He has also called for changes to [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]]<ref name=CNN>{{Cite web|last=Atlas|first=Scott|title=Replace Obamacare with a system that cuts costs and values quality care|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/27/opinions/what-it-will-take-to-replace-obamacare-atlas/index.html|date=December 27, 2016|access-date=August 16, 2020|website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> and "aggressive reforms" to turn [[Medicaid]] "into a bridge to private insurance"<ref name=BeckersHospital>{{cite web |title=Opinion: Medicaid fails the poor |url=https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/opinion-medicaid-fails-the-poor.html |website=Becker's Hospital Review}}</ref> and encourage [[health savings account]]s.<ref name=CNN/> Atlas views the [[Medicaid expansion]] as "one of the most misguided parts" of the Affordable Care Act.<ref name=BeckersHospital/> He opposes proposals to establish a [[public health insurance option]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlas |first=Scott W. |date=July 16, 2019 |title=Public Option Kills Private Insurance |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/public-option-kills-private-insurance-11563309118 |website=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> or [[single-payer healthcare]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlas |first=Scott W. |date=March 9, 2020 |title=The Dangers of Medicare for All |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/opinion/medicare-for-all-cost.html |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> == Trump administration == ===Appointment as Trump coronavirus advisor=== On August 10, 2020, President [[Donald Trump]] announced that Atlas would join his administration as an advisor on [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Morrison|first1=Cassidy|date=August 10, 2020|title=Critic of coronavirus lockdowns and school closures made adviser to President Trump|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/critic-of-coronavirus-lockdowns-and-school-closures-made-adviser-to-president-trump|access-date=August 11, 2020|work=[[Washington Examiner]]}}</ref> Atlas, a radiologist, is not a specialist in [[public health]] or [[Infectious disease (medical specialty)|infectious diseases]].<ref name="NYTSept1"/><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Perez|first=Matt|title=Who Is Dr. Scott Atlas? Trump's New Covid Health Adviser Seen As Counter To Fauci And Birx|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/08/12/who-is-dr-scott-atlas-trumps-new-covid-health-adviser-seen-as-counter-to-fauci-and-birx/|access-date=August 17, 2020 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> He reportedly caught Trump's eye because of his frequent appearances on Fox News that summer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/us/politics/scott-atlas-trump-coronavirus-adviser-resigns.html|title=Scott Atlas, a Trump Coronavirus Adviser, Resigns|last=Stolberg|first=Sheryl Gay|date=November 30, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> ===COVID-19 misinformation, controversial statements, and policy influence=== Atlas has spread [[misinformation about COVID-19]].<ref name = AlbaLee/> He is a proponent of the "herd immunity" theory that infection of low-risk people should be encouraged.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-herd-immunity/2020/08/30/925e68fe-e93b-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html|title=New Trump pandemic adviser pushes controversial 'herd immunity' strategy, worrying public health officials|last1=Abutaleb|first1=Yasmeen|last2=Dawsey|first2=Josh|date=August 31, 2020|work=The Washington Post|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> He claimed that children "have virtually zero risk of dying, and a very, very low risk of any serious illness from this disease" and "children almost never transmit the disease"<ref name="NYTSept1" /><ref name=KUSI/> although children can carry, transmit, and be killed by the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|COVID-19 virus]].<ref name="NYTSept1"/> He argued that only symptomatic individuals should be tested for the coronavirus, and pushed for the August 24 change on the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] website saying that people who had been exposed to the virus but showed no symptoms should not be tested.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="NYTSept1">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/us/politics/trump-scott-atlas-coronavirus.html |date=September 2, 2020|first1=Noah|last1=Weiland|first2=Sheryl Gay|last2=Stolberg|author-link2=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|first3=Michael D.|last3=Shear|first4=Jim|last4=Tankersley|access-date=September 2, 2020|title=A New Coronavirus Adviser Roils the White House With Unorthodox Ideas|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> This position was opposed by many public health experts including CDC scientists, as 40% of people infected with the virus are [[asymptomatic carrier|asymptomatic but can still transmit the virus]].<ref name=":3" /> On September 18 it was reported that the change to the testing recommendation had been written by the White House coronavirus task force, and had been placed on the CDC website by political appointees in the [[Department of Health and Human Services]] without the knowledge of CDC scientists.<ref name =Mandavilli>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/health/coronavirus-testing-cdc.html|title=C.D.C. Testing Guidance Was Published Against Scientists' Objections|last=Mandavilli|first=Apoorva|date=September 17, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref> The original CDC recommendation - that anyone exposed to the virus should be tested whether or not they showed symptoms - was restored to the website the next day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/18/health/covid-19-testing-guidance-cdc-hhs/index.html|title=Controversial coronavirus testing guidance came from HHS and didn't go through CDC scientific review, sources say|date=September 18, 2020|publisher=CNN|access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref> Whilst many scientists believe [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|face masks]] help prevents the spread of COVID-19, Atlas has expressed skepticism that they are effective "scientifically" to halt the spread of the virus.<ref name=":3" /> In October 2020, Twitter removed a tweet by Atlas for falsely claiming that masks do not prevent the spread of coronavirus. Later that day, HHS official [[Brett Giroir]], the [[Assistant Secretary for Health]], reaffirmed that masks do work to prevent transmission of the virus.<ref name="Giroir">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Allan |date=October 18, 2020 |title=Twitter removes tweet from top Trump Covid adviser saying masks don't work |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/twitter-removes-tweet-top-trump-covid-adviser-saying-masks-don-n1243841 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=October 18, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130091344/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/twitter-removes-tweet-top-trump-covid-adviser-saying-masks-don-n1243841 |archive-date=November 30, 2020}}</ref> Dr. [[Deborah Birx]], the White House coronavirus response coordinator, was reported to be "relieved" by the removal of Atlas's tweet.<ref name="Birx">{{cite news |last=Klein |first=Betsy |date=October 19, 2020 |title=Birx tells friends she was relieved after Trump adviser Scott Atlas' inaccurate mask tweet was removed |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/19/politics/scott-atlas-deborah-birx-task-force/index.html |website=cnn.com |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=October 19, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121082911/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/19/politics/scott-atlas-deborah-birx-task-force/index.html |archive-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref> Atlas has advocated for physical school reopening and resumption of college sports during the pandemic.<ref name=":4">{{cite web | last1=Ballhaus | first1=Rebecca | title=Trump Adds Coronavirus Adviser Whose Views Closely Align With His Own |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-adds-coronavirus-adviser-whose-views-closely-align-with-his-own-11597350585 | date=August 13, 2020 | work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] | access-date=August 16, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003073746/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-adds-coronavirus-adviser-whose-views-closely-align-with-his-own-11597350585 |archive-date=October 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web | last1=Colvin | first1=Jill | title=Trump makes call for new White House doctor's virus advice |url=https://apnews.com/886b59d445a3d20739e2f77600976ea0 | date=August 16, 2020 | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | access-date=August 16, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last1=Abutaleb |first1=Yasmeen |last2=Dawsey |first2=Josh |date=August 31, 2020 |title=New Trump pandemic adviser pushes controversial 'herd immunity' strategy, worrying public health officials |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-herd-immunity/2020/08/30/925e68fe-e93b-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html}}</ref><ref name="NYTSept1" /><ref name="KUSI">{{cite news |url=https://www.kusi.com/dr-scott-atlas-pushes-for-reopening-and-asks-arent-schools-an-essential-business/ |date=July 8, 2020|title=Dr. Scott Atlas pushes for reopening and asks, 'aren't schools an essential business?'}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' reported that Atlas was the leading proponent within the Trump administration for a "[[herd immunity]]" approach to the virus, which would kill hundreds of thousands more Americans.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Costa"/> Atlas denied later that he advocated for the herd immunity strategy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gander |first=Kashmira |date=September 1, 2020 |title='Overt Lie': White House Adviser Scott Atlas Denies Herd Immunity Strategy Claims |url=https://www.newsweek.com/scott-atlas-herd-immunity-deny-strategy-1528827 |website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dr-atlas-denies-promoting-herd-immunity-coronavirus|title=Dr. Atlas blasts reports he backed 'herd immunity': 'I've never said that to the president'|first=Angelica|last=Stabile|date=September 1, 2020|website=Fox News}}</ref> said "there's never been a desire to have cases spread through the community," and said it "has never been the president's policy."<ref>{{Cite web|title=President Trump News Conference |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?476162-1/president-declines-commit-peaceful-transfer-power-loses-election|access-date=September 26, 2020|publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stolberg |first=Sheryl Gay |date=October 14, 2020 |title=White House embraces a declaration from scientists that opposes lockdowns and relies on 'herd immunity' |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/world/white-house-embraces-a-declaration-from-scientists-that-opposes-lockdowns-and-relies-on-herd-immunity.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=October 14, 2020}}</ref> In October and November 2020, he touted the [[Great Barrington Declaration]], an open letter that calls for encouraging herd immunity.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Peltz|first1=Madeline|date=16 November 2020|title=Scott Atlas pushes herd immunity on Fox after denying|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/scott-atlas-pushes-herd-immunity-fox-after-denying-he-pushes-herd-immunity-fox|website=Media Matter for America|publisher=MediaMatters.org|quote=Atlas touted the Great Barrington Declaration, an online movement backed by a libertarian think tank that calls for “herd immunity,” a policy of deliberately spreading the coronavirus as widely as possible, causing millions of unnecessary deaths in the process and straining our health care system.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Mandavilli|first1=Apoorva|last2=Stolberg|first2=Sheryl Gay|date=2020-10-19|title=A Viral Theory Cited by Health Officials Draws Fire From Scientists|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/health/coronavirus-great-barrington.html|access-date=2020-11-17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Atlas quickly became influential within the administration, and Trump welcomed his recommendations such as faster reopening and less testing, which are in accord with Trump's own preferences.<ref name = Cook/><ref name= "NYTSept1" /> Atlas was the only doctor to share the stage at Trump's pandemic briefings in the week after his appointment was announced,<ref name=":1"/> and he has also prepared Trump's briefing materials.<ref name="NYTSept1"/> Trump has publicly disagreed with or reduced the roles of his other members of the [[White House Coronavirus Task Force]], including Birx and Dr. [[Anthony Fauci]],<ref name = Cook>{{cite web | last1=Cook | first1=Nancy | title=Trump elevates Scott Atlas, a doctor with a rosier coronavirus outlook |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/17/trump-scott-atlas-coronavirus-doctor-396741 | date=August 17, 2020 | work=[[Politico]] | access-date=August 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Dawsey"/> with whom Atlas repeatedly clashed.<ref name = AlbaLee/> Atlas is said to have alienated Birx and [[Robert R. Redfield]] of the CDC with his controversial ideas.<ref name="NYTSept1" /><ref name="Costa"/> Redfield was heard privately commenting on Atlas that "everything he says is false".<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last1=Alba |first1=Monica |title=Redfield voices alarm over influence of Trump's new coronavirus task force adviser |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/redfield-voices-alarm-over-influence-trump-s-new-coronavirus-task-n1241221 |access-date=September 28, 2020 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=September 28, 2020}}</ref> When Fauci was asked whether Atlas was providing misleading information to Trump, Fauci replied, without naming Atlas, that "sometimes there are things that are said that are really taken either out of context or actually incorrect".<ref name=":5">{{cite news |last1=Weixel |first1=Nathan |title=Atlas, health officials feuds add to Trump coronavirus turmoil |url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/518847-atlas-health-officials-feuds-add-to-trump-coronavirus-turmoil |access-date=September 30, 2020 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=September 30, 2020}}</ref> Since August 2020, Birx has avoided meetings where Atlas is present.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bennett |first1= Kate |last2=Cohen |first2=Elizabeth |title=Birx cedes White House turf to Atlas while hitting the road to spread her public health gospel |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/29/politics/deborah-birx-task-force-scott-atlas/index.html |access-date=2020-11-06 |website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Birx vows she won't sit with Trump-picked task force member|url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/10/29/deborah-birx-scott-atlas-coronavirus-task-force-bennett-lead-vpx.cnn|access-date=6 November 2020|website=www.cnn.com|publisher=CNN}}</ref> In an interview with ''The Washington Post'' in late October 2020, Fauci said of Atlas, "I have real problems with that guy. He's a smart guy who's talking about things that I believe he doesn't have any real insight or knowledge or experience in. He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it out and parse it out, it doesn't make any sense."<ref name="Dawsey"/> In mid-November 2020, it was reported that Atlas had not attended White House task force meetings in person since late September amid his clashes with Fauci and Birx.<ref name = AlbaLee/> During stimulus negotiations in fall 2020, Atlas opposed funds for widespread COVID-19 testing; in an email to an economist, Atlas wrote that the push for testing was "a fundamental error of the public health people perpetrated on the world."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Tankersley |first1=Jim |last2=Weiland |first2=Noah |last3=Cochrane |first3=Emily |date=2020-10-16 |title=White House Opposes Expanded Virus Testing, Complicating Stimulus Talks |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/business/white-house-coronavirus-testing.html |access-date=2020-10-17 |issn=0362-4331 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122080029/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/business/white-house-coronavirus-testing.html |archive-date=2020-11-22}}</ref> After [[White House COVID-19 outbreak|Trump was diagnosed with coronavirus in early October 2020]], Atlas appeared on Fox News to predict a "complete and full and rapid recovery" for Trump and to urge viewers not to panic.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 2, 2020|title=Controversial coronavirus tsar accused of playing down pandemic says 'no reason to panic' over Trump diagnosis|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-diagnosis-recovery-b747030.html|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> On October 31, Atlas was interviewed for 26 minutes on a broadcast of the [[RT (TV network)|RT]] network (formerly Russia Today), a Russian state-controlled outlet classified by U.S. intelligence agencies as part of [[Russian propaganda|Russia's propaganda apparatus]]. The next day, Atlas apologized, writing: "I regret doing the interview and apologize for allowing myself to be taken advantage of."<ref name="Treisman">{{cite news |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |date=November 1, 2020 |title=WH Adviser Scott Atlas Apologizes For Interview With Kremlin-Backed News Outlet |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/01/930149143/wh-adviser-scott-atlas-apologizes-for-interview-with-kremlin-backed-news-outlet |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=November 2, 2020}}</ref> On November 15, Atlas wrote a tweet urging [[Michigan]] residents to "rise up" against the state's newly announced COVID-19 restrictions, which included a requirement that high school and college classes must be conducted remotely and a three-week ban on many indoor activities including restaurant dining.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/health/2020/11/15/here-are-14-changes-going-into-effect-under-michigans-new-covid-19-restrictions/#//|title=Here are 14 changes going into effect under Michigan's new COVID-19 restrictions|last=Hutchinson|first=Derrick|date=November 15, 2020|work=Click On Detroit|access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref> Atlas' tweet included the hashtags #FreedomMatters and #StepUp.<ref name="LeBlanc">{{cite news |last1=LeBlanc|first1=Paul |last2=Diamond |first2=Jeremy |date=November 15, 2020 |title=Trump coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas urges Michigan to 'rise up' against new Covid-19 measures |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/politics/scott-atlas-coronavirus-michigan/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=November 15, 2020}}</ref> Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus coordinator, said Trump was fed 'parallel data' that she hadn't approved. Somebody had been creating graphics for Trump to present "that were not transparently utilized." Scott Atlas, Trump's former advisor on the coronavirus task force and a lockdown skeptic, was involved, she said.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Kate Duffy |title=Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus coordinator, said Trump was fed 'parallel data' that she hadn't approved, which he then presented to the public |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/deborah-birx-trump-covid-parallel-data-scott-atlas-2021-1 |website=Business Insider |date=25 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Kelly Hooper |title=Deborah Birx: 'Parallel set of data' on Covid-19 was delivered to Trump |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/24/birx-trump-parallel-covid-data-461928 |website=Politico |date=24 January 2021}}</ref> ===Response from experts and others=== Atlas's influence on policy has alarmed many doctors and health experts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brumfiel |first1=Geoff |last2=Keith |first2=Tamara |title=President Trump's New COVID-19 Adviser Is Making Public Health Experts Nervous|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/04/909348915/president-trumps-new-covid-19-advisor-is-making-public-health-experts-nervous |access-date=September 12, 2020 |website=NPR.org |language=en |url-status=live |publisher=[[NPR]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129081955/https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/04/909348915/president-trumps-new-covid-19-advisor-is-making-public-health-experts-nervous |archive-date=November 29, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Costa"/><ref name="Dawsey"/> In September 2020, 78 of Atlas's former colleagues at the [[Stanford University School of Medicine|Stanford Medical School]] signed an open letter criticizing Atlas, writing that he had made "falsehoods and misrepresentations of science" that "run counter to established science" and "undermine public health authorities and the credible science that guides effective public health policy."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/read-the-open-letter-from-stanford-doctors-on-scott-atlas/813b50f72b6543b4/full.pdf |title=Dear Colleages |author1=Philip A. Pizzo, MD |author2=Upi Singh, MD |author3=Bonnie Maldonado, MD |date=September 9, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 1, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126235901/https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/read-the-open-letter-from-stanford-doctors-on-scott-atlas/813b50f72b6543b4/full.pdf |archive-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref><ref name="abc1">{{cite web |last1=Bruggeman |first1=Lucien |last2=Cathey |first2=Libby |title=Former Stanford colleagues warn Dr. Scott Atlas fosters 'falsehoods and misrepresentations of science' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stanford-colleagues-warn-dr-scott-atlas-fosters-falsehoods/story?id=72926212 |access-date=September 12, 2020 |work=[[ABC News]] |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120122756/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stanford-colleagues-warn-dr-scott-atlas-fosters-falsehoods/story?id=72926212 |archive-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> Atlas's lawyer [[Marc Kasowitz]] threatened to sue the researchers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Niedzwiadek |first=Nick |title=Scott Atlas lawyer threatens defamation suit over critical Stanford open letter |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/17/scott-atlas-stanford-defamation-suit-416992 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=[[Politico]] |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122164808/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/17/scott-atlas-stanford-defamation-suit-416992 |archive-date=November 22, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Scott Atlas, White House adviser on coronavirus, threatens to sue colleagues back at Stanford|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/09/23/scott-atlas-white-house-adviser-coronavirus-threatens-sue-colleagues-back-stanford|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.insidehighered.com|language=en}}</ref> Atlas's comment urging Michiganders to "rise up" against measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission was widely condemned by health professionals and by Stanford University, home of the Hoover Institute where Atlas is a senior fellow.<ref name = Cathey/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Stanford-rebukes-Scott-Atlas-following-his-15732313.php|title=Stanford rebukes Scott Atlas following his controversial rise up tweet|last=Williams|first=Michael|date=November 16, 2020|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref> In November 2020, Michigan Governor [[Gretchen Whitmer]] denounced the tweet as "incredibly reckless"<ref name = Cathey>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dr-scott-atlas-fire-telling-michigan-rise-covid/story?id=74234276|title=Dr. Scott Atlas under fire for telling Michigan to 'rise up' against COVID-19 restrictions|last=Cathey|first=Libby|date=November 16, 2020|work=ABC News|access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref> and Fauci said: "I totally disagree with it, and I made no secret of that. ... I don't want to say anything against Dr. Atlas as a person but I totally disagree with the stand he takes. I just do, period."<ref name = AlbaLee/> The same month, the Stanford University [[Academic senate#United States|Faculty Senate]], by an 85% vote, adopted a resolution condemning Atlas for his actions that "promote a view of COVID-19 that contradicts medical science." The resolution cited Atlas's statements and said they endanger the public.<ref>{{cite journal |title= Stanford Faculty Senate Condemns Dr. Scott Atlas Over His Covid-19 Conduct |last= Nietzel |first= Michael T. |date= 2020-11-21 |access-date= 2020-11-22 |journal= [[Forbes]] |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/11/21/stanford-faculty-senate-condems-dr-scott-atlas-over-his-covid-19-conduct/}}</ref> ===Resignation=== On November 30, 2020, Atlas posted a letter (dated for the following day) resigning his White House position, days before the end of the maximum 130-day period in which he could serve with "[[special Government employee]]" status.<ref name=Resigns/><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-atlas/scott-atlas-resigns-as-special-adviser-to-trump-on-coronavirus-idUSKBN28B3AS Scott Atlas resigns as special adviser to Trump on coronavirus], Reuters (November 30, 2020).</ref><ref>[https://www.promagzine.com/2020/12/01/scott-atlasus-coronavirus-adviser-to-donald-trump-resigns/ Scott Atlas, US Coronavirus advisor to Donald Trump resigns], Pro Magazine (December 01, 2020).</ref> ==Selected works== * ''Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine'' (1990 1st ed.; 1996; 2002; 2008; 2016)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mancuso |first1=Anthony A. |title=Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine, First Edition |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mrm.1910220119 |website=Magnetic Resonance in Medicine |pages=175 |language=en |doi=10.1002/mrm.1910220119 |date=November 1, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Charles Y. |title=Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine, Third Edition |url=https://academic.oup.com/neurosurgery/article-abstract/51/5/1316/2744414?redirectedFrom=PDF |journal=Neurosurgery |pages=1316–1317 |language=en |doi=10.1097/00006123-200211000-00037 |date=November 1, 2002|volume=51 |issue=5 }}</ref> * ''Power to the Patient: Selected Health Care Issues and Policy Solutions'' (2005) * ''Reforming America’s Health Care System'' (2010) * ''In Excellent Health: Setting the Record Straight on America’s Health Care System'' (2011)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=Thomas |title=A Diagnosis At Odds With A Treatment Plan |journal=[[Health Affairs]] |date=August 1, 2012 |volume=31 |issue=8 |pages=1905–1907 |doi=10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0722 |url=https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0722 |issn=0278-2715|doi-access=free }}</ref> * ''Restoring Quality Health Care: A Six‐Point Plan for Comprehensive Reform at Lower Cost'' (2016 1st ed.; 2020)<ref name=BeckersHospital/> ==References== {{reflist}} {{COVID-19 pandemic}} {{COVID-19 pandemic in the United States}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Atlas, Scott W,}} [[Category:1955 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American physicians]] [[Category:21st-century American physicians]] [[Category:American radiologists]] [[Category:COVID-19 conspiracy theorists]] [[Category:Hoover Institution people]] [[Category:People from Chicago]] [[Category:Pritzker School of Medicine alumni]] [[Category:Stanford University faculty]] [[Category:Trump administration personnel]] [[Category:University of Chicago alumni]] [[Category:University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni]] [[Category:White House Coronavirus Task Force]]'