Which White House physicians have publicly resigned or been dismissed in recent administrations, and how were those transitions documented?
Executive summary
This review identifies several White House physicians in recent administrations who publicly resigned, were dismissed, or whose departures were otherwise documented in public records and reporting, and describes how those transitions were recorded by official units, news outlets and oversight probes (Health.mil timeline; PBS; Forbes) [1] [2] [3]. The documented cases reveal a mix of routine personnel notices handled internally by the White House Medical Unit and high-profile departures memorialized through inspector-general findings, congressional depositions and media reporting [2] [4] [3].
1. Notable recent resignation: Dr. Jennifer Peña (Vice President’s physician) and how it was recorded
In 2018 the White House Medical Unit formally notified the vice president’s office that Dr. Jennifer Peña — the physician assigned to Vice President Mike Pence — had resigned, and that communication served as the public record of her departure; PBS reported the vice president’s office was “informed today by the White House Medical Unit of the resignation,” noting that physicians assigned to the vice president report to the Medical Unit and that resignations go through that office [2]. That case illustrates the routine administrative path for documenting exits from the White House Medical Unit: internal notice to the relevant office followed by media reporting that cites the Medical Unit or the vice president’s office as the source [2].
2. High-profile controversy and personnel action: Rep. Ronny Jackson (former White House physician under Trump)
Ronny Jackson, who served as White House physician for President Trump, became the subject of an extensive Defense Department review that documented allegations about his conduct while serving in the White House Medical Unit; reporting on the matter references a Pentagon inspector-general inquiry that concluded Jackson engaged in “inappropriate conduct,” including allegations of alcohol use on duty, improper comments to subordinates and misuse of a sedative, and the Navy later moved to demote him before reversing that demotion — an arc recorded in DoD findings and subsequent media accounts [4]. That sequence shows how departures or disciplinary actions tied to misconduct are documented through official inspector-general reports and then amplified and contextualized by press reporting [4].
3. Institutional timelines and historical resignations
The Military Health System maintains a timeline of physicians who have served as White House physicians, which records many earlier resignations and appointments and functions as an authoritative institutional ledger for who held the post and when (Health.mil timeline) [1]. Historical entries cited in general sources also note earlier resignations — for example, presidential physician Charles Ruge is recorded in historical summaries as having resigned after President Reagan’s first term, a detail included in descriptive overviews of the office [5]. Such institutional timelines and encyclopedic entries are the primary sources for tracking long-term officeholder changes [1] [5].
4. Congressional oversight and legal documentation: the Kevin O’Connor deposition
Departures and transitions can also become part of broader public records when oversight bodies probe a president’s health or the conduct of White House medical staff: Forbes reported that Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as physician to President Biden, was deposed by House Oversight Committee staff as part of an inquiry into whether senior officials covered up concerns about the president’s fitness, and the lawyers for O’Connor raised questions about precedents for compelling a physician’s testimony while the committee invoked waivers and subpoenas — a form of documentation that shifts an otherwise private medical relationship into Congressional record and public reporting [3]. That episode shows how departures or personnel actions may be documented indirectly through subpoenas, depositions and committee statements even when no formal resignation or dismissal is announced [3].
5. What the pattern shows and limits of available reporting
The documented cases fall into three categories: routine administrative resignations recorded via the White House Medical Unit and reported by the offices involved (e.g., Peña) [2]; disciplinary actions and personnel changes recorded in inspector-general reports and DoD processes (e.g., Jackson) [4]; and oversight-driven documentation that appears in congressional records and press coverage (e.g., deposition of O’Connor) [3]. The sources reviewed provide clear examples of each documentation channel, but they do not offer a comprehensive list of every recent White House physician departure; the Military Health System timeline is the best institutional source for a fuller roster [1]. Where reporting is silent, this review does not speculate about unreported resignations or dismissals [1].