HMS Physician To Be Nominated for U.S. Surgeon General

UPDATED: November 18, 2013, at 9:02 p.m.

President Obama announced Thursday that he intends to nominate Vivek H. Murthy ’98, a physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School, as Surgeon General of the United States.

The co-founder of Doctors for America, a national movement of more than 16,000 physicians and medical students working to improve the health of the nation, Murthy has not yet secured the position. Before assuming the new role, he must first face a Senate confirmation hearing that has not yet been scheduled.

If successful, Murthy will become the youngest surgeon general in U.S. history and will replace acting Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak, an alumnus of the Harvard School of Public Health.

“I thought it was a great decision made by the President,” said Allen Kachalia, an associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health and long-time friend. “My initial reaction was that I was very happy for Dr. Murthy because he has been a longstanding advocate for better health care. And I was happy for the country because we were getting another great leader.”

Given the current political climate, however, it is uncertain whether or not Murthy will secure the position.

The four-year post has little formal power but carries substantial influence on key issues in public health, especially in light of the recent rollout of the healthcare exchanges. A strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act, Murthy would aid in its implementation and evaluation over the coming years.

In addition to teaching at the Medical School, Murthy currently works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2008, Murthy helped found Doctors for Obama, which later became Doctors for America.

The group says that it is non-partisan and does not support any particular political candidate or administration, but it has expressed support for President Obama’s healthcare reforms and filed an amicus brief for the Supreme Court in support of the ACA’s individual insurance mandate.

While Murthy himself has stated that he spent most of his life outside of politics, in recent years he has become involved, he said, in efforts to influence healthcare reform. He was appointed by President Obama in 2011 to a group that advises the Surgeon General.

“He has shown himself to be a caring and compassionate physician,” said Kachalia. “He has been an advocate of improving our health care system and improving access for everybody.”

Murthy is also co-founder and chairman of TrialNetworks, a clinical trial optimization system, and co-founder of VISIONS Worldwide, a non-profit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS education in India and the United States.

—Staff writer Fatima N. Mirza can be reached at fatima.mirza@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @FatimaNMirza.