Public Health Experts Strongly Support Dr. Vivek Murthy as the next Surgeon General

News provided by

Mar 03, 2014, 07:46 ET

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leading public health experts and organizations – including American Public Health Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Trust for America's Health (TFAH), and many others – support Dr. Vivek Murthy becoming the next surgeon general.

Dr. David Satcher, surgeon general under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, wrote, in his letter of support: "Dr. Murthy's impressive track record of accomplishments as an innovative and well-respected thought leader in health care will prove to be invaluable to the American people."

"I have seen Dr. Murthy's excellent work firsthand. He is highly qualified to be the next surgeon general and to lead the Commissioned Corps into a new era," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH and chair of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.

"As a physician and a public health leader, Dr. Murthy understands that improving the health of Americans requires a close partnership between what happens in the clinic and what happens in our communities. That kind of leadership is what the country needs to ensure everyone can be as happy, healthy and productive as they choose to be," continued Levi.

TFAH joins many other public health leaders and organizations in supporting the nomination of Dr. Murthy, including:

Jeffrey R. Balser, MD, PhD, Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Thomas Barker, Foley Hoag LLP, and former Counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services
Cedric Bright, MD, FACS, 112^th President of the National Medical Association and Director, Special Programs Office, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Jeffrey P. Copland, MD, MPH, Vice President for Global Health, Emory University, and former Director of the Centers for Control and Prevention
Scott Corlew, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital
Andrew Davidoff, MD, Surgeon in Chief, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Victor J. Dzau, MD, Chancellor for Health Affairs and President and CEO, Duke University Medical Center and Health System, and President-elect of the Institute of Medicine
Trevor Fetter, President and CEO, Tenet Healthcare Corporation
Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MBA, Director and Health Officer, Los Angeles Department of Public Health
Samuel R. Nussbaum, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint Bhaskar N. Rao, MD, FACS, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
James Roosevelt, Jr., CEO,Tufts Health Plan
David Satcher, MD, PhD, 16^th Surgeon General of the United States
Eric H. Schultz, President and CEO, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare
Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health, New York State Department of Health
Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD, MS, Senior Vice President, Henry Ford Health System
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
American Cancer Society
American College of Physicians
American College of Sports Medicine
American Diabetes Association
American Heart Association
American Hospital Association
American Medical Women's Association
American Public Health Association
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Federation of American Hospitals
Health & Disability Advocates
March of Dimes Foundation
National Center for Disaster Preparedness
The New England Council
New Hampshire Public Health Association
Partners Healthcare.

A full account of letters from public health leaders in support for Dr. Murthy can be found here.

Trust for America's Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO

SOURCE Trust for America's Health