Senate Confirms Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General

Yesterday, Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate 57-43 as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Murthy previously served as the 19th Surgeon General under the Obama Administration from 2014 to 2017. Dr. Murthy will succeed ASA member Jerome Adams, MD, who was the first physician anesthesiologist to hold the position of U.S. Surgeon General.

Dr. Murthy made history in 2014 when he was youngest appointed U.S. Surgeon General and the first of Indian descent. He attended college at Harvard University and went on to earn an MD from Yale School of Medicine and an MBA from Yale School of Management. Dr. Murthy completed his residency in internal medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Additionally, Dr. Murthy is a co-founder of several organizations, including Doctors for America, TrialNetworks, and SVN Med. 

The Surgeon General is often referred to as "America's Doctor" for his or her duty in "providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness or injury."  The position falls within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and has a four year term. 

ASA looks forward to working with Dr. Murthy on issues important to the practice of anesthesiology, including the opioid epidemic which Dr. Murthy has stated will be prioritized under his leadership.