Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy ‘honoured’ to be sworn in as 21st US Surgeon General

American physician and former vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Dr Vivek Murthy was officially sworn in as America's 21st Surgeon General under the Biden administration on March 26. While taking to Twitter, Murthy said that he was “honoured” and “grateful” to be sworn in. He said that he stands ready to work towards ending this pandemic and building a world where good health is within everyone’s grasp. 

During a virtual oath-taking ceremony, Murthy was sworn in by Xavier Becerra, who is the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, and RDML Susan Orsega. He said that he is ready to take on the position as the Nation’s Doctor in a bid to help end the coronavirus pandemic, be a voice for science and support the country on its path to rebuilt and heal. Murthy, who holds the position for the second time, now has the responsibility to help President Joe Biden in helping the US out of the pandemic situation that has worsened recently, like in many other nations.

Who is Dr. Vivek Murthy? 

Murthy is the first individual of Indian descent who will hold the position of America's surgeon general. Back in 2011, he was chosen by then-President Barack Obama to be a part of the advisory group on prevention, health promotion, integrative and public health. In 2014, Murthy was then confirmed as the 19th US Surgeon-General, a position he held until April 2017. 

During his tenure, Murthy focused on drug and alcohol addiction, besides promoting a healthy lifestyle among the public. He launched efforts to increase physical activity in communities across the country, including a two-week public-private partnership with Fitbit that engaged over 600,000 people to take an industry record-setting 60 billion steps. He was also an advocate of vaccination among children and partnered with children’s character Elmo in a popular video that demystified vaccines for parents and children.

Murthy was born in England and raised in Miami. He grew up watching his parents, who were also medical practitioners and who hailed from Karnataka. Murthy did his schooling at Miami Palmetto Senior High School before attending Harvard for his Bachelor’s degree. He later completed his MD and MBA degrees from Yale.

(Image: Facebook/AP)