Abbey Bartlet

Abigail 'Abbey' Bartlet, First Lady, is a fictional character played by Stockard Channing on the television serial drama The West Wing.

Related Topics:
First Lady - Fictional character - Stockard Channing - Television - Serial - Drama - The West Wing

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Abbey is a world-class physician and wife of more than thirty years to President Bartlet. She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Her specialties are in internal medicine and thoracic surgery. She began practicing medicine some twenty-five years before the start of the series, and is on the staff of both Boston Mercy Hospital and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She is Adjunct Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Related Topics:
Physician - Bartlet - M.D. - Harvard Medical School - Internal medicine - Thoracic surgery - Adjunct Professor

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To protect the secret of her husband's multiple sclerosis, Abbey gave the President doses of betaseron, which helped keep his MS in check. It was only after he collapsed and was confronted by Leo that she revealed their secret to a member of the White House senior staff. Her decision to medicate her husband, in violation of several American Medical Association rules, caused her to decide to give up her medical license for the duration of her stay in the White House. However, she has begun to do some volunteer work at a local clinic.

Related Topics:
Multiple sclerosis - Betaseron - Leo - White House - American Medical Association - Medical license

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Abbey was a recurring character during the first two seasons and has been a regular since the third, despite the fact that there are many episodes in which she does not appear, a fact consistent with real life, where the First Lady must perform official duties all over the country and therefore cannot stay constantly with her husband at the White House.

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