Vivek Murthy, MD, a hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the country's next surgeon general.
Dr. Murthy is also the cofounder and president of Doctors for America, a nonprofit organization that advocates for improved access to healthcare. Both Dr. Murthy and Doctors for America have been supporters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, applauded the selection. "We share a belief that access to quality healthcare is a basic human right," she 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."
Former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, resigned in July. Boris D. Lushniak, MD, who had served as deputy surgeon general under Dr. Benjamin, has been serving as acting surgeon general in the interim.
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