Harvard and Brigham Doc To Be Named Surgeon General
The Globe is reporting that President Obama will nominate Dr. Vivek Murthy of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Surgeon General of the United States, according to a White House statement.
Murthy is the cofounder and president of Doctors for America, a group of 16,000 physicians and medical students based in Washington D.C. that advocates for access to affordable, high quality health care. Murthy was also a grassroots supporter of the Affordable Care Act. Since 2006, he’s been an attending physician and instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “We share a belief that access to quality health care is a basic human right,” Brigham president Dr. Betsy Nabel said in a statement. “I am confident that he will be a passionate advocate and that he will have an extraordinary impact as our nation’s surgeon general.”
Pending a Senate confirmation, Murthy will replace acting surgeon general Boris Lushniak. The position is a four-year term where Murthy will essentially be the “face” of public health issues. Here’s a link to his Twitter feed.
Doctors for America Executive Director Dr. Alice Chen issued this statement:
“We congratulate Dr. Vivek Murthy on his nomination to be the next Surgeon General of the United States. He has a tremendous dedication and commitment to improving the lives and health of Americans. He has been a tireless leader in bringing together 16,000 doctors and medical students from all 50 states for the common cause of improving the health of the nation. He brings two decades of experience as a champion in improving health, building coalitions, and bringing diverse people together to bring better health to communities. We are confident Dr. Murthy will be an extraordinary leader for the nation and for improving the health of all Americans as Surgeon General.”
