Jill Biden deserves to use Dr. in her name

Joseph Epstein wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Dec. 11 titled “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if you need an MD.” Mr. Epstein took incoming First Lady Jill Biden to task for referring to herself by her well-earned title. He wrote, “‘Dr.’ Jill Biden sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.” Dr. Biden teaches in community colleges and according to her bio “Dr. Biden earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware in January of 2007. Her dissertation focused on maximizing student retention in community colleges. She also has two Master’s Degrees — both of which she earned while working and raising a family.”

Mr. Epstein referred to Dr. Biden’s dissertation title, “Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs” as “unpromising.” I think most, if not all, college presidents and deans of admission would tell him that student retention is a major concern and that some obstacles to degree completion are more challenging among community college students.

Mr. Epstein seems to think that only medical doctors deserve to use the title, even suggesting “A wise man once said that no one should call himself “Dr.” unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc.”

Many people have come to the defense of Dr. Biden’s use of her honorific and some have called the piece sloppy and misogynistic. I will add that this also speaks to a lack of understanding of certain professional degrees and how much things have changed.

To the point of who is entitled to be called doctor, does Mr. Epstein address his dentist as Dr.? In many programs, the future medical and dental students take classes together for a year or more. No delivering of children required of the future dentists.

A “doctorate” is defined as a terminal degree — the highest degree one can earn in a discipline. In addition to doctors, many lawyers earn the Juris Doctor or JD. Although I have not heard any attorney refer to himself as doctor, the degree indicates the student has taken the necessary courses and earned the right to this terminal degree and to sit for the Bar exam.

Mr. Epstein might want to brace himself for all of the medically affiliated doctorate holders he may run into. He might be interested to know that since 2000, if someone wants to become a pharmacist there is one route — they earn the Doctor of Pharmacy, the PharmD. For Physical Therapists, it is the Doctor of Physical Therapy, the DPT. The physical therapy major was a Bachelor’s degree until 1980. Then a Master’s degree was required. It is now a full clinical doctorate. There is no longer a physical therapy major for undergraduates, unless it is for a combined undergraduate-graduate program. Currently occupational therapy is in the process of transitioning from requiring a Master’s degree to requiring the Doctorate.

These professionals receive their degrees from their respective institutions and then must pass exams to be licensed to practice their profession. Mr. Epstein can rest assured that they have earned their right to be known by the title on their diplomas.

Outside of the medical realm, there are doctorates in Engineering, Business, Library Science, Music, Doctor of Education and many more. At their graduations, they are called up as “Doctor” to be hooded.

Those who earn their Doctorate degrees deserve our respect. I will happily refer to the First Lady as Dr. Biden.