Surgeon General of the United States

Last updated
Surgeon General of the
United States
United States Public Health Service (seal).svg
Seal of the United States Public Health Service, 1798
Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg
Flag of the United States Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General (profile).jpg
Incumbent
Vice Admiral
Vivek Murthy
since March 25, 2021
U.S. Public Health Service
Commissioned Corps
Style Surgeon General
Vice Admiral
AbbreviationSG
VADM
Reports to United States Assistant Secretary for Health
Seat Hubert H. Humphrey Building, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C.
Appointer President of the United States
with United States Senate advice and consent
Term length 4 years
Constituting instrument 42 U.S.C.   § 205 and
42 U.S.C.   § 207
FormationMarch 29, 1871
First holder John M. Woodworth (as Supervising Surgeon)
DeputyDeputy Surgeon General
Website www.SurgeonGeneral.gov

The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. The Surgeon General's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), which is housed within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. [1]

Contents

The U.S. surgeon general is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The surgeon general must be appointed from individuals who are members of the regular corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and have specialized training or significant experience in public health programs. [2] However, there is no time requirement for membership in the Public Health Service before holding the office of the Surgeon General, and nominees traditionally were appointed as members of the Public Health Service and as Surgeon General at the same time. The surgeon general serves a four-year term of office and, depending on whether the current assistant secretary for health is a commissioned corps officer, is either the senior or next most senior uniformed officer of the commissioned corps, holding the rank of a vice admiral. [3] [4] The current surgeon general is Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy.

Responsibilities

The surgeon general reports to the assistant secretary for health (ASH), who may be a four-star admiral in the commissioned corps, and who serves as the principal advisor to the secretary of health and human services on public health and scientific issues. The Surgeon General is the overall head of the commissioned corps, a 6,500-member cadre of uniformed health professionals who are on call 24 hours a day and can be dispatched by the secretary of HHS or the assistant secretary for health in the event of a public health emergency.

The surgeon general is also the ultimate award authority for several public health awards and decorations, the highest of which that can be directly awarded is the Surgeon General's Medallion (the highest award bestowed by board action is the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal). The surgeon general also has many informal duties, such as educating the American public about health issues and advocating healthy lifestyle choices.

The office also periodically issues health warnings. Perhaps the best known example of this is the surgeon general's warning label that has been present on all packages of American tobacco cigarettes since 1966. [5] A similar health warning has appeared on alcoholic beverages labels since 1988. [6]

History

In 1798, Congress established the Marine Hospital Fund, a network of hospitals that cared for sick and disabled seamen. The Marine Hospital Fund was reorganized along military lines in 1870 and became the Marine Hospital Service—the predecessor to today's United States Public Health Service. The service became a separate bureau of the Treasury Department with its own staff, administration, headquarters in Washington, D.C, and the position of supervising surgeon (later surgeon general, where in this context, the adjective "general" following the noun meaning widespread or overall, not military rank). [7]

After 141 years under the Treasury Department, the Service came under the Federal Security Agency in 1939, then the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) in 1953, and finally the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Prior to 1970, the surgeon general was traditionally selected from career uniformed officers. [8] Today, the surgeon general is usually selected from the civilian community, who aligns more closely with the president's political party. [8] The office is not a particularly powerful one, and has little direct statutory impact on policy-making, but Surgeons General are often vocal advocates of precedent-setting, far-sighted, unconventional, or even unpopular health policies.

The U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force also have officers overseeing medical matters in their respective services who hold the title Surgeon General, of their respective services, while the surgeon general of the United States is surgeon general of the entire country as a whole.

The insignia of the surgeon general, and the USPHS, use the caduceus as opposed to the Rod of Asclepius.

Service rank

The surgeon general is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the eight uniformed services of the United States, and by law holds the rank of vice admiral. [3] Officers of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are classified as non-combatants, but can be subjected to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Geneva Conventions when designated by the commander-in-chief as a military force or if they are detailed or assigned to work with the armed forces. Officers of the commissioned corps, including the surgeon general, wear uniforms that are modeled after uniforms of the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard, except that the commissioning devices, buttons, and insignia are unique. Officers in the U.S. Public Health Service wear unique devices that are similar to U.S. Navy staff corps officers (e.g., Navy Medical Service Corps, Supply Corps, etc.).

The only surgeon general to actually hold the rank of a four-star admiral was David Satcher (born 1941, served 1998–2002). This was because he served simultaneously in the positions of surgeon general (three-star) and assistant secretary for health (which is a four-star office). [14] John Maynard Woodworth (1837–1879, served 1871–1879), the first holder of the office as "Supervising Surgeon."

List of surgeons general of the United States

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)		Term of officeAppointed by
(term)		Ref.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 John M. Woodworth.jpg John M. Woodworth
(1837–1879)		March 29, 1871March 14, 18797 years, 350 days Ulysses S. Grant
(1869–1877)
2 Surgeon General John B. Hamilton.jpg Commodore
John B. Hamilton
(1847–1898)		April 3, 1879June 1, 189112 years, 59 days Rutherford B. Hayes
(1877–1881)
3 Walter Wyman, ca. 1898 (B026910).jpg Commodore
Walter Wyman
(1848–1911)		June 1, 1891November 21, 191120 years, 173 days Benjamin Harrison
(1889–1893)
4 Rupert Blue 3.jpg Commodore
Rupert Blue
(1868–1948)		January 13, 1912March 3, 19208 years, 50 days William Howard Taft
(1909–1913)
5 Hugh S. Cumming.jpg Rear Admiral
Hugh S. Cumming
(1869–1948)		March 3, 1920January 31, 193615 years, 334 days Woodrow Wilson
(1913–1921)
6 Thomas Parran, Jr., photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Rear Admiral
Thomas Parran Jr.
(1892–1968)		April 6, 1936April 6, 194812 years, 0 days Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933–1945)
7 Rear Admiral Leonard Scheele.jpg Rear Admiral
Leonard A. Scheele
(1907–1993)		April 6, 1948August 8, 19568 years, 124 days Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
8 Leroy Edgar Burney, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Rear Admiral
Leroy E. Burney
(1906–1998)		August 8, 1956January 29, 19614 years, 174 days Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
9 Luther Terry photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Luther Terry
(1911–1985)		March 2, 1961October 1, 19654 years, 213 days John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
10 William H. Stewart, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg William H. Stewart
(1921–2008)		October 1, 1965August 1, 19693 years, 304 days Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
– Portrait gray.png Rear Admiral
Richard A. Prindle
(c. 1926–2001)
Acting		August 1, 1969December 18, 1969139 days Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)		 [15] [16]
11 Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Jesse L. Steinfeld
(1927–2014)		December 18, 1969January 30, 19733 years, 43 days [17] [18]
– Rear Admiral S. Paul Ehrlich, Jr.jpg Rear Admiral
S. Paul Ehrlich Jr.
(1932–2005)
Acting		January 31, 1973July 13, 19774 years, 163 days [19]
12 Julius Richmond, Surgeon General official photo.jpg Vice Admiral
Julius B. Richmond
(1916–2008)		July 13, 1977January 20, 19813 years, 191 days Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)		 [20]
– 1980 John C Greene in Official United States Rear Admiral Uniform.jpg Rear Admiral
John C. Greene
(1936–2016)
Acting		January 21, 1981May 14, 1981113 days Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
– Portrait gray.png Edward Brandt Jr.
(1933–2007)
Acting		May 14, 1981January 21, 1982252 days
13 C. Everett Koop, 1980s.jpg Vice Admiral
C. Everett Koop
(1916–2013)		January 21, 1982October 1, 19897 years, 253 days
– James O. Mason USPHS.jpg Admiral
James O. Mason
(1930–2019)
Acting		October 1, 1989March 9, 1990159 days George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
14 VADM Antonia Novello.jpg Vice Admiral
Antonia Novello
(born 1944)		March 9, 1990June 30, 19933 years, 113 days
– RADM Robert A Whitney Jr.jpg Rear Admiral
Robert A. Whitney
(born 1935)
Acting		July 1, 1993September 8, 199369 days Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
15 Joycelyn Elders official photo portrait.jpg Vice Admiral
Joycelyn Elders
(born 1933)		September 8, 1993December 31, 19941 year, 114 days
– Audrey Manley, DHHS official bw photo.jpg Rear Admiral
Audrey F. Manley
(born 1934)
Acting		January 1, 1995July 1, 19972 years, 181 days
16 David Satcher official photo portrait.jpg Admiral [lower-alpha 1]
David Satcher
(born 1941)		February 13, 1998February 12, 20023 years, 364 days [14]
– RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg Rear Admiral
Kenneth P. Moritsugu
(born 1945)
Acting		February 13, 2002August 4, 2002172 days George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
17 Richard carmona.jpg Vice Admiral
Richard Carmona
(born 1949)		August 5, 2002July 31, 20063 years, 360 days
– RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg Rear Admiral
Kenneth P. Moritsugu
(born 1945)
Acting		August 1, 2006September 30, 20071 year, 60 days
– Steven K Galson.jpg Rear Admiral
Steven K. Galson
(born 1956)
Acting		October 1, 2007October 1, 20092 years, 0 days
– Donald L. Weaver official portrait.jpg Rear Admiral
Donald L. Weaver
Acting		October 1, 2009November 3, 200933 days Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
18 Regina Benjamin official portrait.jpg Vice Admiral
Regina Benjamin
(born 1956)		November 3, 2009July 16, 20133 years, 255 days [21] [22]
– RADM Boris Lushniak acting Surgeon General.jpg Rear Admiral
Boris Lushniak
Acting		July 17, 2013December 18, 20141 year, 154 days
19 Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, USPHS.jpg Vice Admiral
Vivek Murthy
(born 1977)		December 18, 2014April 21, 20172 years, 124 days
– Sylvia Trent-Adams Official Portrait.jpg Rear Admiral
Sylvia Trent-Adams
Acting		April 21, 2017September 5, 2017137 days Donald Trump
(2017–2021)		 [23]
20 Jerome Adams 2019.jpg Vice Admiral
Jerome Adams
(born 1974)		September 5, 2017January 20, 20213 years, 137 days
– RADM Susan Orsega (two-star).jpg Rear Admiral
Susan Orsega
Acting		January 20, 2021March 24, 202162 days Joe Biden
(2021–Present)		 [24]
21 Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General (profile).jpg Vice Admiral
Vivek Murthy
(born 1977)		March 25, 2021Present1 year, 99 days

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Reverted to the rank of vice admiral in 2001, for the remainder of his term as surgeon general, when he no longer held the office of Assistant Secretary for Health.

Related Research Articles

The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 32 and Title 42 of the U.S. Code.

United States Public Health Service Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health

The United States Public Health Service is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing eight out of the department's eleven operating divisions. The Assistant Secretary for Health oversees the PHS. The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) is the federal uniformed service of the PHS, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps US federal uniformed service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a scientific agency overseen by the Department of Commerce. The NOAA Corps is made up of scientifically and technically trained officers. It is one of only two U.S. uniformed services – the other being the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps – that consists only of commissioned officers, with no enlisted or warrant officer ranks. The NOAA Corps' primary mission is to monitor oceanic conditions, support major waterways, and monitor atmospheric conditions.

In the United States Navy, officers have various ranks. Equivalency between services is by pay grade. United States Navy commissioned officer ranks have two distinct sets of rank insignia: On dress uniform a series of stripes similar to Commonwealth naval ranks are worn; on service khaki, working uniforms, and special uniform situations, the rank insignia are identical to the equivalent rank in the US Marine Corps.

United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, is the federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. The commissioned corps' primary mission is the protection, promotion, and advancement of health and safety of the general public.

David Satcher American physician and public health administrator

David Satcher, is an American physician, and public health administrator. He was a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health, and the 16th Surgeon General of the United States.

Identification badges of the Uniform Services of the United States List of identification badges of the US Uniformed Services

Identification badges of the Uniformed Services of the United States are insignia worn by service members conducting special duties, many of which can be awarded as permanent decorations if those duties are performed successfully. There are a few identification badges that are awarded to all services, others are specific to a uniform service. The Office of the President and Vice President and department/service headquarters badges are permanent decorations for those who successfully serve in those assignments. Some of the service level identification badges can be permanent decorations and others are only worn by a service member while performing specific duties, such as the Military Police Badge.

Admiral is a four-star commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below fleet admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service do not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to the rank of general in the other uniformed services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps has never had an officer hold the grade of admiral. However, 37 U.S.C. § 201 of the U.S. Code established the grade for the NOAA Corps, in case a position is created that merits the four-star grade.

Awards and decorations of the Public Health Service

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), one of the eight uniformed services of the United States, has the authority to issue various awards, commendations, and other insignia to its members. These include individual honor awards, unit honor awards, service awards, training ribbons, special skill badges, and identification badges. The following PHSCC awards are listed in the service's order of precedence:

United States Coast Guard officer rank insignia describes an officer's pay-grade. Rank is displayed on collar devices, shoulder boards, and on the sleeves of dress uniforms.

Assistant Secretary for Health USHHS primary advisor on US public health

The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office and the holder of the office serves as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health. The assistant secretary oversees all matters pertaining to the United States Public Health Service (PHS), the main division of the Department of Health and Human Services, for the secretary, and provides strategic and policy direction. The Public Health Service comprises almost all of the agency divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services including the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the eight federal uniformed services, comprising more than 6,500 uniformed health professionals who serve with the Department of Health and Human Services, or are assigned to work within other federal agencies, including the United States Armed Forces.

Judge Advocate General of the Navy Highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy

The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on legal matters pertaining to the Navy. The Judge Advocate General also performs other duties prescribed to them under 10 U.S.C. § 5148 and those prescribed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Rear admiral (United States) Officer rank of the United States Navy and Coast Guard

A rear admiral in the U.S. uniformed services is either of two different ranks of commissioned officers: one-star flag officers and two-star flag officers. By contrast, in most nations, the term "rear admiral" refers to an officer of two-star rank.

Vice admiral is a three-star commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, with the pay grade of O-9. Vice admiral ranks above rear admiral and below admiral. Vice admiral is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant general in the other uniformed services.

James A. Zimble

James Allen Zimble was a commissioned officer in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy. His Navy career spanned 35 years of service, beginning in 1956 at the rank of ensign and ending in 1991 at the rank of vice admiral. He served as the 30th Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 1987 to 1991. After retiring from the Navy in 1991, Zimble was appointed President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He remained in that position until 2004.

Sylvia Trent-Adams American public health official

Sylvia Trent-Adams is a retired U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps rear admiral, who last served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for health from January 2, 2019 to August 31, 2020. She previously served as the deputy surgeon general of the United States from October 25, 2015 to January 2, 2019. Trent-Adams also served as the acting surgeon general of the United States from April 21, 2017 to September 5, 2017. She retired from the U.S. Public Health Service on September 30, 2020 after over 33 years of combined uniformed service. On October 5, 2020, Trent-Adams was named to the board of directors for AMN Healthcare.

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps uses the same commissioned officer rank structure as the United States Navy and Coast Guard: from ensign to admiral. While the commissioned corps is authorized to use warrant officer ranks W-1 to W-4 under the U.S. Code of law, it does not currently use these ranks.

References

  1. ↑ (ASPA), Digital Communications Division (DCD), Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (2008-10-24). "OASH Organization Chart". HHS.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  2. ↑ 42 USC 205. Appointment and tenure of office of Surgeon General; reversion in rank.
  3. 1 2 42 USC 207. Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps.
  4. ↑ "Public Health, Commissioned Corps Uniforms and Ranks". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13.
  5. ↑ "Public Health Information | R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company". R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  6. ↑ "Legislation". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  7. ↑ (OSG), Office of the Surgeon General (13 July 2006). "About the Office of the Surgeon General". www.surgeongeneral.gov.
  8. 1 2 Carmona, Richard (2014-11-09). "Take politics out of selecting surgeon general: Column". USA Today. Retrieved 2021-11-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Julie M. Fenster Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine "Hazardous to Your Health" American Heritage, Oct. 2006.
  10. ↑ Joel Spitzer. The Surgeon General says... WhyQuit.com. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  11. ↑ Winn, Mari (October 9, 1988). "The Legacy of Dr. Koop". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ Leon Dash, "Joycelyn Elders: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America", Washington Monthly, January–February 1997
  13. ↑ Dreifus, Claudia (9 March 1994). "Joycelyn Elders". The New York Times.
  14. 1 2 "David Satcher (1998–2002)". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. January 4, 2007. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  15. ↑ "House Panel Bids U.S. Study Marijuana's Use and Effects". The New York Times . Associated Press. September 7, 1969. p. 62. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  16. ↑ Zielinski, Graeme (September 15, 2001). "Public Health Researcher Richard Prindle Dies". The Washington Post . Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  17. ↑ "Washington: For the Record – December 18, 1969". The New York Times . December 19, 1969. p. 7. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "Jesse Leonard Steinfeld (1969–1973)". SurgeonGeneral.gov. 2007-01-04. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  19. ↑ U.S. Government Accountability Office (27 August 1974). "Need for More Effective Management of Community Mental Health Centers Program" (B-164031(5)).{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ↑ "HHS Secretaries". National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  21. ↑ "Obama picks Regina Benjamin as surgeon general". Reuters. July 13, 2009.
  22. ↑ Stobbe, Mike (December 3, 2009). "Surgeon general: More minority doctors needed". WTOP. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  23. ↑ Collier, Andrea King (2017-05-04). "5 things to know about acting Surgeon General, Sylvia Trent-Adams". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  24. ↑ Diamond, Dan (2021-01-25). "Biden to tap nurse as acting surgeon general". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-01-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.