Indian American Vivek Murthy served as Surgeon General of the United States from 2014 to 2017.
Vivek Murthy was nominated as the next US Surgeon General, a role he previously held during the Obama administration, by President-elect Joe Biden on Dec. 7, 2020. Currently serving as a member of Biden’s team, as co-chair of the COVID task force, Murthy will reprise the role he held from 2014-2017, albeit with more responsibility.
If confirmed, this time around Murthy will be a part of a team responsible for responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 280,000 Americans and hospitalized millions more.
In 2013, when President Obama nominated Murthy as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, he faced stiff resistance from the powerful National Rifles Association because of position on gun control. A New York Times editorial denounced NRA’s lobbying as “an outrageous campaign to torpedo” the “nomination of an outstanding young doctor,” who “has impeccable credentials for the job.”
The Senate delayed the vote for several months and even considered withdrawing his nomination altogether.
Murthy is the founder of Doctors for America, which lobbied for the Affordable Care Act. The group now has 18,000 physicians and medical students across the country as members.
Born in England to Indian immigrants, Murthy was raised in Miami after his parents moved to the US to establish their medical practice. After earning his BA in biochemical sciences and graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1997, Murthy received his MD from Yale School of Medicine and his MBA from Yale School of Management.
As an 18-year old freshman at Harvard, Murthy co-founded VISIONS Worldwide, a non-profit organization aimed to raise HIV/AIDs education in the US and India, with his sister Rashmi.
Read more on Vivek Murthy:
Vivek Murthy to bring approach learnt at his immigrant parents’ clinic (December 9, 2020)
As ‘America’s Doctor’ Vivek Murthy to be ‘voice for science’ (December 8, 2020)
Indian American Vivek Murthy returns as Biden’s surgeon general (December 7, 2020)
Vivek Murthy named co-chair of Biden covid-19 advisory board (November 9, 2020)
Vivek Murthy endorses Biden to combat corona, heal the nation (August 21, 2020)
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy removed, Sylvia Trent-Adams takes charge (April 22, 2017)
I want US to understand magnitude of drug, alcohol addiction crisis: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (November 18, 2016)
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy marries Dr. Alice Chen (August 27, 2015)
Vivek Murthy clears procedural vote in Senate, likely to become US Surgeon General on December 15 (December 13, 2014)
Dr. Vivek Murthy could become Surgeon General of the US on December 11 (December 9, 2014)
Sen. Mark Warner gives push to confirm Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General (December 2, 2014)