Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, serving since March 2021, addresses public health crises, including mental health, addiction, and social isolation, while advocating for healthier connections.The Surgeon General’s recent report highlights alcohol as the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S.
The Surgeon General has released a new report about alcohol use– Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.
Alcohol use has caused nearly 1 million preventable cancer cases over 10 years in the U.S. While most of these deaths per year occur at levels above current U.S. Dietary Guidelines (2 drinks daily for men, 1 drink daily for women), 17% occur at levels within those recommended limits.
I’ll write more about that in a subsequent post, but here I want to answer the question
Who is the Surgeon General?
Since March 2021, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has served as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States. As the Nation’s Doctor, the Surgeon General lays the foundation for a healthier country, based on the best scientific information available.
Dr. Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States
A renowned physician, research scientist, entrepreneur, mango aficionado, and author of the bestselling book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, Dr. Murthy is a trusted voice in America on public health. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Dr. Alice Chen, and their two children.
Humans are wired for social connection, but we’re becoming more isolated over time. Loneliness and social isolation represent significant threats to individual and societal health and well-being. Social connection can lead to healthier, more prosperous and resilient individuals and communities.
Dr. Murthy’s U.S. Public Health Actions
As the Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy commands a uniformed service of over 6,000 dedicated public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations here and abroad.
As the 21st Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy addressed several critical public health issues, including health misinformation, the youth mental health crisis, well-being and burnout among health professionals, and social isolation and loneliness. He is a key advisor to President Biden’s COVID-19 pandemic response operation.
While serving as 19th Surgeon General, under President Obama, Dr. Murthy helped lead the national response to the Ebola and Zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the growing threat of stress and loneliness to Americans’ physical and mental well-being.
Dr. Murthy continued the office’s legacy of preventing tobacco-related disease, by releasing a report on e-cigarettes and youth. He issued the first Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, challenging the nation to expand access to prevention and treatment and recognize addiction as a chronic illness, not a character flaw.
Dr. Murthy’s International Projects
Before entering government service, Dr. Murthy co-founded VISIONS, a global HIV/AIDS education organization; the Swasthya Project, training women in South India to become community health workers and educators; TrialNetworks, a technology company improving collaboration and efficiency in clinical trials; and Doctors for America, a nonprofit mobilizing physicians and medical students to improve access to affordable care.
Raised in Miami, Dr. Murthy received his BA from Harvard, and his MD and MBA from Yale. His scientific research has focused on vaccine development and clinical trials involving women and minorities.
Dr. Murthy cared for thousands of patients and trained undergraduates, medical students, and medical residents at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at Harvard Medical School.
He will leave office when the new Surgeon General appointed by President-elect Trump takes office.
Exploring the HEART of Health
This blog’s “Featured Image” is an AI depiction of Dr. Murthy. I welcome your comments about it.
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President-elect Trump has appointed key figures for health leadership, including Robert Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Three physicians—Dr. Marty Makary for the FDA, Dr. Dave Weldon for the CDC, and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as Surgeon General—were also nominated. However, their nominations faced changes and withdrawals.
updated May 25, 2025
President-elect Trump has been busy appointing people to his cabinet and other key leadership positions. He has chosen Robert Kennedy, Jr. to serve in his cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS is a vast department overseeing multiple areas of health and wellness with a $2.86 trillion budget for 2024.
I’m sharing an article by journalists Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa, about three other appointees to key health positions.
Except for Kennedy, these appointees are physicians . I am not familiar with any of them. They appear to have well-established medical careers and solid credentials. I plan to explore their views more thoroughly after reading this article.
3 BRANCHES OF U.S. GOVERNMENT, FROM usa.gov, public domain
Trump unveils his lineup for FDA, CDC and surgeon general
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump will appoint three physicians for key government health roles.
Former Florida Congressman Dave Weldon will be tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Marty Makary will be nominated for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat was put forward as the next Surgeon General.
All three positions require Senate confirmation.
Dr. Makary-Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices;
and by ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
FDA website
Trump wrote in his announcement for Makary that he would “work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic.”
Makary is a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. His biography says he “has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has served on several editorial boards.”
“Dr. Makary served in leadership at the World Health Organization Patient Safety Program and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Clinically, Dr. Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He received the Nobility in Science Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and has been a visiting professor at over 25 medical schools.”
Makary wrote an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal in February 2021, sharing his prediction that the COVID-19 pandemic would mostly be over by April 2021.
“Some medical experts privately agreed with my prediction that there may be very little COVID-19 by April but suggested that I not talk publicly about herd immunity because people might become complacent and fail to take precautions or might decline the vaccine,” Makary wrote at the time.
“But scientists shouldn’t try to manipulate the public by hiding the truth. As we encourage everyone to get a vaccine, we also need to reopen schools and society to limit the damage of closures and prolonged isolation. Contingency planning for an open economy by April can deliver hope to those in despair and to those who have made large personal sacrifices.”
In prepared remarks to the House Select Subcommittee on the Covid Pandemic in May 2023, he wrote that
“Nothing speaks more to the intellectual dishonesty of public health leaders than their complete dismissal of natural immunity. They never talked about it.”
Trump wrote in his statement announcing Makary as his pick for FDA that he would “course-correct and refocus the Agency.”
Dr. Martin Adel Makary, was confirmed on March 25, 2025 by the U.S. Senate as the 27th Commissioner of Food and Drugs. In this role, Dr. Makary oversees the full breadth of the FDA portfolio and execution of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other applicable laws.Apr 8, 2025
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate with the World Health Organization (WHO), federal, state and local public health partners, and clinicians in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. CDC is closely monitoring the situation and working 24/7 to provide updates credit James Gathany, public domain
Dr. Weldon-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.
CDC website
Weldon was instrumental in codifying into law the “Weldon Patent Ban,” which makes a permanent prohibition on patenting human embryos, something that Trump noted in his statement.
“Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos,” Trump said in a statement.
In 2011, the ban was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in the America Invents Act, and made permanent after Weldon left Congress. His colleagues named it after him because of his advocacy on the issue.
“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues,” Trump said in a statement.
Weldon, 71, served in Congress from 1995 until 2009, when he retired. He is a former physician and if confirmed by the Senate, will now head a roughly $17 billion agency that is tasked with responding to emerging health threats.
update
President Trump withdrew Dr.Weldon’s nomination.
As of May 21, 2025, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is Susan Monarez, PhD. She was nominated by President Trump in March 2025 and confirmed by the Senate in April 2025.
Dr. Neshwiwat-Surgeon General
The U.S. Surgeon General is the Nation’s Doctor, providing Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.
The Surgeon General oversees the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, an elite group of over 6,000 uniformed officers who are public health professionals.
The USPHS mission is to protect, promote, and advance the health of our nation.
Trump wrote in his nomination for Nesheiwat that she “is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health.”
“She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives,” Trump added.
According to her biography, Nesheiwat graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and is a double board-certified medical doctor practicing in New York.
She “brings a refreshingly no-nonsense attitude to the latest medical news, breaking down everything you need to know to keep you- and your family- healthy at all times,” (her website).
Nesheiwat is the medical director at CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey.
update
As of May 25, 2025, Dr. Nesheiwat’s nomination has been withdrawn.
In her place is Dr.Casey Means. Dr. Means is a physician, health entrepreneur, and author who is known for her work on the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. She has also been a vocal critic of traditional medicine and has promoted alternative health treatments.
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Exploring the HEART of Health
I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.
Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.
I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.
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