A leading neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease met with President Biden's personal doctor at the White House earlier this year, according to visitor logs reviewed by the New York Post. This revelation comes amid ongoing discussions about the 81-year-old president's mental acuity, particularly following his recent debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson's expert from Walter Reed Medical Center, and Dr. John E. Atwood, a cardiologist, met with Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's personal physician, at the White House residence clinic on Jan. 17. The New York Post reports that a fourth, unidentified individual was also present at the 5 p.m. meeting.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Cannard has nearly two decades of experience at Walter Reed and has been serving as the "neurology specialist supporting the White House Medical Unit" since 2012. His most recent research, published in August 2023, focuses on the early stages of Parkinson's disease.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who served as the presidential physician for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, told the New York Post, "It's highly likely they were talking about Biden. [O'Connor] should only be [regularly] treating the president and the first family."
O'Connor, who has been Biden's official physician since January 2021, gave the president a clean bill of health during his annual physical in February. This examination included a neurological assessment that specifically ruled out Parkinson's disease.
However, some medical professionals have raised concerns. Dr. Rob Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, noted that Biden displays symptoms consistent with Parkinson's, including "fluctuation in attentional function, his facial appearance, and his gait." Howard emphasized that he has not examined Biden and was not offering a formal diagnosis.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), also a physician, told the New York Post, "Many in the medical community have suspected for several years that the president might be suffering from Parkinson's disease. If the president of the United States is among them, the American people deserve to know before voting in November."
The White House has responded to inquiries about the meeting, stating, "A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds." However, they declined to provide specific details about who O'Connor, Cannard, and Atwood were meeting with.
