The Life and Times of Vivek Murthy
– Youngest US Surgeon General
At 37 years, Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy made history as the youngest appointed US Surgeon
General and the first of Indian descent. For his swearing in, he took an oath on the Bhagwad Gita. Vivek Murthy, who as U.S. Surgeon General advocated a ‘healthier and more compassionate America,’ had to step done when President Trump took over. Murthy was asked to resign just over two years into his four-year term after “assisting in a smooth transition” under President Donald Trump.
Murthy was born on July 10, 1977, in Huddersfield, England, to Hallegere and Myetriae Murthy immigrants from Mandya district, Karnataka, India. He was three years old when the family relocated to Miami, Florida. His father was a family practitioner in Miami and, as a young boy, Murthy would spend time in his father’s clinic. It was how he developed a love for medicine and science.
Education
He completed his early education from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in 1994. He then attended college at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Sciences. He didn’t stop there. In 2003, Murthy got a combined medical and business degree from Yale School of Management, where he was a recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. In 2006, he completed his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He trained hundreds of medical students and residents and has treated thousands of patients as an internal medicine
physician.
Social work
At 18, and at Harvard, Murthy, co-founded VISIONS Worldwide in 1995, a nonprofit organization focused on HIV/AIDS education in the U.S. and India. Two years later in 1997, he co-founded Swasthya Community Health Partnership to help women to be health providers and educators to rural Indians. Murthy also created a system, Trial Networks, which
improves clinical trials so new drugs can be marketed sooner and safely. In 2009, he co-founded Doctors for America, a group of 15,000 physicians and medical students supporting comprehensive health reform. Until 2013 he served as its president.
In 2011, he was appointed by President Barack Obama, as a member of a group that advises the surgeon general on issues related to “prevention, health promotion and integrative and public health in accordance with the Affordable Care Act to advise the National Prevention Council — a cabinet-level council of 17 federal agencies chaired by the Surgeon General.
A stint as US Surgeon General
In November 2013, Murthy was nominated by Obama for the post of United States Surgeon General. His nomination met some initial resistance in the Senate by both Democrats and Republicans. Later, Murthy’s nomination received broad support from over 100 medical and public health organizations in the U.S., including the American College of Physicians,
the American Public Health Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association.
As US Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy created initiatives to tackle the country’s urgent public health issues. He chose to focus on areas that were raised by people across America during his inaugural listening tour. Dr. Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers, serving a wide population in over 800 locations domestically and abroad. He worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to strengthen the Corps and protect the nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent health care shortages in rural communities.
Lifestyle
On the personal front, Dr. Murthy follows a healthy lifestyle that includes daily practice of yoga. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Dr. Murthy’s refrigerator reflects his commitment to health. The shelves, when they’re not empty, contain foods like unflavored
almond milk, raw carrots, and high-protein grains, reflecting a healthy lifestyle. He takes annual trips to his native village where he offers free medical treatment to the poor. His Facebook page says he enjoys listening to U2, hip-hop, and Enya, as well as watching Glee( TV series).
According to friends, Murthy is humble, soft-spoken and passionately idealistic, throwing himself into his work and friendships. Murthy and his parents have set up the self-funded Scope Foundation in their village Hallegere, Mandya district, Karnataka. Murthy is
married to a Chinese American physician, Alice Chen, a co-founder and an executive director of Doctors for America.
Murthy continues to serve as a member of the Commissioned Corps. He is currently a practicing physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, as well as the Hospitalist Attending Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Excerpt from October 2017