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It’s the kind of thing that probably only journalists who cover the State Capitol would notice: “Governor Josh Green, M.D. submits the Executive Budget for Fiscal Biennium to the Legislature and announces the release of nearly $50 million in grants to non-profit communities.”

That’s from a Dec. 19 from the administration. Here’s another dated : “Gov. Josh Green, M.D. and Director of Health Elizabeth ‘Libby’ A. Char, M.D. have issued the following statement in response to the missing Hawaii Life Flight aircraft.”

The statement was about the issuance of an emergency proclamation regarding the fatal incident off the coast of Maui.

It’s good to see the administration responding so quickly to such tragedies, but it is curious to see that our new governor seems to need to remind everyone that he’s a medical doctor. Is there anyone in Hawaii who does not know this? And isn’t “governor” already a fine honorific that conveys supreme authority?

I asked the administration for comment and received an emailed statement from Green.

“Being a physician is what brought me to Hawaii, in a position with the National Health Service Corps,” he said. “The title of M.D. represents a badge of honor that I carry with me, as service as a public official has become an extension of my work as a doctor in the emergency room. My commitment to the practice of medicine and caring for people is something I carry with me in every conversation I have and every decision I make as Governor.”

Makana McClellan, Green’s director of communications, informed me that Green used M.D. as lieutenant governor and as a state senator, either in letterhead, business cards or office commemorative coin.

My search of legislative documents from Green’s time in the Legislature — e.g., hearing notices — turned up multiple references to M.D. following his name and some without it. Same goes for former Rep. Richard Creagan, another Big Island M.D.

Today I released the Executive Budget for Fiscal Biennium to the Legislature and announced the release of nearly $50 million in grants to non-profit communities.

— Governor Josh Green, M.D. (@GovJoshGreenMD)

Still, now that Green is governor, it strikes me as overkill. Google “Howard Dean,” for example, and many searches predominantly refer to him as the former governor of Vermont and not as an American physician. Ron Paul, another physician, is usually referred to as the former U.S. representative from Texas.

But maybe they’re just old school. Paul’s son Rand is an ophthalmologist, and Dr. Rand Paul is used in the title of press releases . He is also referred to in those same documents as , while calls him U.S. Senator Rand Paul, M.D.

Sheesh.

Interestingly, all three of the previous docs have run for president. Just putting that out there.

Doctor, Doctor

Green, of course, earned his medical degree and has the right to use M.D. after his name. Many media — Civil Beat included — just won’t follow, though, as it’s not part of journalistic style guides.

The use of M.D. also brings up an interesting point about titles. Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie holds a Ph.D., but I don’t recall many people calling him Dr. Abercrombie. Bruce Anderson, who preceded Char at the DOH, was often called Dr. Anderson, but he is not an M.D. Rather, he holds a and is also a master of public health — M.P.H.

First Lady Jill Biden is often called Dr. Biden, too, although she is a doctor of education. Her identifies her as Dr. Jill Biden first followed by First Lady Jill Biden and Jill Biden, Ed.D.

So there’s a lot of inconsistency out there.

What is more consistent is that Green’s medical background has been central to his political success. While his outspoken role as lieutenant governor during the Covid-19 pandemic upstaged his boss the governor, many people welcomed Green’s frequent media appearances during a public health crisis. But others lamented the mixed messages from the Capitol’s fifth floor.

Political advertising during the 2022 gubernatorial campaign liberally displayed Green in his medical scrubs. The jab from opponents that he was not “board certified” never stuck.

Green’s symbiosis with his medical degree started well before Covid. His work included outreach to island homeless and leading a medical mission to American Samoa, where there was a measles outbreak.

But Green’s predilection toward M.D. can also be a bit misleading. The governor’s Twitter handle is (“Father, husband, Governor of Hawaii, Steelers enthusiast. Let’s move Hawaii forward together”). This is not necessarily Green’s fault — my guess is that it’s a Twitter thing — but that handle now applies to all the tweets from that account including hundreds prior to Dec. 5 — i.e., the day he was sworn in. Here’s an example:

I am assembling a cabinet that will move the State of Hawai‘i forward and commit to a strong sense of service to the people of Hawai‘i.

— Governor Josh Green, M.D. (@GovJoshGreenMD)

Another handle, , does not use M.D., but his bio reads “Husband, father, local doctor. @Steelers fan. Governor of Hawaii.” His official and pages do not use M.D., but it’s featured prominently in the account.

By now some readers may be thinking that this smart-ass journalist is getting a bit carried away. Maybe so.

But here’s another item to chew on regarding the governor’s office: Press releases also proclaim that he is “governor,” or “kiaʻāina.” Visit of Gov. Josh Green, M.D., and it will tell you that it’s the website of the Ke‘ena O Ke Kiaʻāina — the Office of the Governor.

That’s not Green’s doing. It comes from a new law that passed the Legislature this year.

It requires all letterhead of the state and counties to include “consistent Hawaiian names, words, and spelling” including governor, lieutenant governor, state legislators, and heads of principal departments at least once on the main page for their official website and in stationary letterhead.

The was signed into law by then-Gov. David Ige, who has a bachelor of science in electrical engineering.

Pretty sure our former kiaʻāina never referred to himself as Gov. David Ige, B.S.