Photo By Damien Salas | From left, Rashmi, sister of Surgeon General Vice Adm. Vivek Murthy, smiles while...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - During his ceremonial swearing in as the nation’s 19th surgeon general April 22 in Conmy Hall on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Dr. Vivek Murthy shared his vision for a stronger and healthier nation – a “great American community” built through promotion and awareness of healthy living.
This community, according to Murthy, would focus on research and education to prevent disease; public awareness and understanding of mental health; a continued anti-tobacco stance that would include tobacco-bans on all American college and university campuses, as well as the elimination of tobacco products from children’s entertainment, among other initiatives.
In his address, Murthy said he is acutely aware of the challenges ahead, but he remains ambitious.
“Today, we face a rising tide of diabetes, heart disease and cancer,” he said. “We will lose nearly half a million lives this year to tobacco-related disease. Forty-two million people in our country struggle with mental illness. Heroin and prescription drug abuse ravage towns across America, and vaccine-preventable diseases we thought we had contained have come back with a vengeance because of fear and misinformation.”
Murthy also encouraged the American public to speak out and take action to combat violence against women.
“To build the great American community, you don’t have to be a civil rights leader, a CEO or even the Surgeon General,” he said. “Any person – regardless of age or experience – can be part of this movement. All you need is to start somewhere, anywhere, with an idea that will improve your personal health and the health of those around you.”
Murthy took his oath in front of Vice President Joe Biden, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and former Surgeon General David Satcher, as well as his family, friends and a crowd full of supporters.
Murthy, 37, is the youngest surgeon general in U.S. history. The son of Indian immigrants, he was born in England and moved to Miami when he was a child. There, Murthy’s father, Hallegere, started a successful medical practice.
The new surgeon general addressed his beginnings and thanked his family for all of the work and support that have made his achievements possible.
“By any reasonable measure, I shouldn’t be standing here,” Murthy said. “My father is the son of a farmer in rural India. He was supposed to have been a farmer, as was I.”
In brief remarks before Murthy took his oath, Biden called the Murthy family “incredible” and said he and President Barack Obama nominated Murthy because he was a prime candidate for the position.
“The president and I have committed to getting Vivek confirmed for a simple reason: He is eminently qualified for this job,” Biden said. “He shares the simple premise on which the president and I have staked our entire time in office – that health care is a right, not a privilege in America. It’s a right.”
According to the surgeon general’s website, Murthy graduated from high school in Miami, and then received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard. He earned his medical degree and master’s degree in business administration from Yale University.
In addition to clinical experience, Murthy has also founded several nonprofit organizations, including Doctors for America, comprising thousands of physicians and medical students who work with policymakers on healthcare initiatives; VISIONS, an HIV/AIDS education program in India and the United States; and Swasthya, a community health partnership in rural India that trains women to be health care providers and educators.
“We cannot effectively address the challenges before us until we treat health as a shared responsibility,” Murthy said. “That is why we have to build the great American community.”
His term as surgeon general lasts four years.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2015 21:24 |
| Story ID: | 161856 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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