The U.S. Senate has confirmed David Shulkin, MD, president of Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center, as the Department of Veterans Affairs' undersecretary for health, according to a NJ Advance Media report.
Here are four things to know about Dr. Shulkin.
1. In his role, Dr. Shulkin will be responsible for managing a healthcare system responsible for 9 million military veterans in nearly 1,000 VA hospitals and clinics nationwide.
2. Dr. Shulkin comes into the undersecretary position after the VA was rocked by a nationwide scandal over falsified records, long patient wait times and scheduling problems at VA medical facilities.
3. Dr. Shulkin, who was nominated by President Barack Obama in March, previously pledged to overhaul the VA's healthcare programs if confirmed, according to the report.
4. Dr. Shulkin had been president of the Morristown Medical Center since 2010 and also served as a vice president of its parent company, Morristown-based Atlantic Health System. Dr. Shulkin previously was president and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.