Dr. Ruth Westheimer

 

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, widely known as Dr. Ruth, is an American psychosexual therapist who was instrumental in opening up the field of media psychology through her innovative radio show Sexually Speaking. The program started out in 1980 as a fifteen-minute taped show that aired on Sundays over WYNY-FM (NBC) in New York. It then became a one-hour show that aired live, accommodating call-in questions from listeners of her show. Presently, the show is vastly distributed across the country and is now just a part of a communications network that Dr. Ruth uses to share her knowledge and spread her advocacy for sexual literacy. She takes advantage of different media venues including newspapers, books, home video, games, computer software, and her own website. Her television career also covers broadcast and cable, with her shows syndicated to viewers nationally and internationally. Two times Dr. Ruth was named “College Lecturer of the Year” and has also received several other honors and awards including Mother of the Year, which was awarded to her by the National Mother’s Day Committee, an Ace Award for Excellence in cable television programming in 1988, and inclusion into the list of Most Intriguing People of the Century by People Magazine. 

 

HER GROWING YEARS AND EDUCATION

 

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was born as Karola Ruth Seigel to a Jewish family on June 4, 1928 in Frankfurt, Germany. At the age of 10, she was sent to school in Switzerland, which was an orphanage for German Jewish children. At the age of 17, she moved to Israel where she became a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters, and she fought for the country’s independence for which she trained as a sharpshooter and as a scout despite her short height. She then transferred to Paris in 1950, where she studied and taught psychology at the University of Paris. In 1956, she immigrated to the United States and she obtained her Masters Degree in Sociology from New School for Social Research in New York. She also received a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University Teacher’s College.  Dr. Ruth then studied human sexuality and completed her post-doctoral work at New York Hospital – Cornell University Medical Center. Dr. Ruth speaks several languages including English, French, Hebrew, and German.  Dr. Ruth has been married three times and has two children.

 

CAREER

 

Dr. Ruth worked for Planned Parenthood where she participated in the program for five years as an Adjunct Associate Professor. She also used to teach at several schools such as Brooklyn College, West Point, Lehman College, and Adelphi University. She is presently teaching as an adjunct professor at New York University and is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, Calhoun College at Yale University and Butler College at Princeton University.

 

Her first TV show named Sexually Speaking was aired locally in 1982 after which it went national on Lifetime’s The Dr. Ruth Show. Soon after she hosted other shows such as “The All New Dr. Ruth Show,” “What’s Up, Dr. Ruth?,” “You’re On the Air with Dr. Ruth,” “Never Too Late,” and “Between The Lions.”  Dr. Ruth’s first video was entitled Terrific Sex and she also produced documentary films such as “Surviving Salvation,” “No Missing Link,” and “The Olive and The Tree: The Secret Strength of the Druze.” 

 

She has written 17 books and among her top published works are: Sex For Dummies, Dr. Ruth’s Guide for Married Lovers, Dr. Ruth’s Pregnancy Guide for Couples; Dr. Ruth’s Guide to Good Sex; and Dr. Ruth’s Guide to College Life: The Savvy Student’s Handbook.

 

 

Dr. Phil McGraw

 

Dr. Phil McGraw, known to the public as Dr. Phil, is an American psychologist, life strategist, and author. He is also a popular talk show host of the psychology-themed television program, the Dr. Phil Show. Dr. Phil gives advice to couples and families on several issues ranging from health issues to legal advice and topics about human psychology. Dr. Phil first became widely recognized through his regular appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show.  Dr. Phil also founded The Dr. Phil Foundation, to help children fight against childhood obesity. 

BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION

 

Dr. Phil was born as Phillip Calvin McGraw on September 1, 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma and was raised both in Oklahoma and Texas.  He went to Shawnee Mission North High School in Mission, Kansas and was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa, playing as a six-foot-four-inch middle linebacker in 1968.  In 1975, he graduated from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. A year after, he earned his master’s degree in experimental psychology at the University of North Texas and in 1979, he got his Doctorate in clinical psychology at the same university, with a double area of specialization in clinical and behavioral medicine. Soon after, he had his private practice in psychology together with his father who was also a psychologist. In 1976, he was married to wife, Robin. They have two sons, Jay and Jordan. 

 

CAREER

 

In 1983, Dr. Phil and his father partnered with Thelma Box in launching Pathways, which was a self-motivation seminar that aimed to help people live their lives with enthusiasm. In 1989, he co-established a company named Courtroom Sciences with the objective of helping trial lawyers institute cases that used psychology, through behavioral analysis and facilitate jury selection, mock examinations, community polling, and mediation. It was through this firm that Dr. Phil got to meet Oprah Winfrey. In 1995, Oprah sought the aid of the firm and she hired Dr. Phil to assist her during the trial, as she was sued by cattlemen from Texas for an allegation that Oprah has insulted the beef industry during one of her shows. Oprah finally won the case in 1998 through the help of Dr. Phil. Soon after, she invited him to come out on her show and after that initial appearance, he then regularly showed up on the show as an expert, handling issues about relationships and life strategies. With his famous “Get real” phrase and sturdy bearing, he has caught the attention of both men and women. In 2002, he started his own television series, Dr. Phil, an advice-giving program, which was syndicated nationally. He also had other television shows, Dr. Phil House and Decision House, although they were short-lived. Dr. Phil is currently promoting his upcoming show, The Doctors, which is set to be shown in fall of 2008. 

 

Dr. Phil has authored books and six of them have become #1 New York Times bestsellers, to wit: “Relationship Rescue: A Seven Step Strategy for Reconnecting with Your Partner,” “Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters,” “Family First: Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family,” “The Ultimate Weight Solution: The Seven Keys to Weight Loss Freedom,” “Love Smart: Find the One You Want, Fix the One You Got,” and “Self Matters: Creating Your Life From the Inside Out.”

 

 

Dr. Drew Pinsky

 

Dr. Drew Pinsky, widely known as Dr. Drew, is an American internal medicine physician and an addiction medicine specialist, who is best known as a host of the popular radio advice program, Loveline, which also had an MTV version. Dr. Drew is a trained opera singer and has also made some acting appearances on a couple of movies and television shows such as Wild Hogs and Dawson’s Creek.

 

BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION

 

Dr. David Drew Pinsky, was born on September 4, 1958 in Pasadena, California. His father was a physician and he used to accompany his father in doing house calls. This early introduction to the world of medicine catalyzed his decision to become a medical practitioner. Dr. Drew attended Polytechnic High School in Pasadena and then went to Amherst College in Massachusetts where he majored in Biology. In 1980, he graduated from college. He then returned to California to attend the University of Southern California School of Medicine where he graduated from in 1984. He spent his residency training at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena where he was soon appointed chief resident. Dr. Drew is currently in private practice handling elderly patients and doing rounds at Las Encinas Hospital as well. He presently resides in Pasadena, California with his wife and their three children who are triplets. 

 

CAREER

 

In 1983, while he was still attending medical school, Dr. Drew started his radio program Loveline in a tiny local radio station. The show then went national in 1995 and then an MTV version was launched a year after, where he hosted it together with comedian Adam Carolla. Today he is the Medical Director of the Department of Chemical Dependency Services in Las Encinas Hospital and he is also the Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Keck School of Medicine.

 

Dr. Drew has also authored books including “The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love,” “Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again,” and “When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs.”