The Senate has confirmed Vivek Murthy, MD, as the next U.S. surgeon general, according to The New York Times. The surgeon general is also known as "the nation's doctor." Dr. Murthy will oversee the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a group of more than 6,000 public health professionals.
The Senate confirmed Dr. Murthy's nomination by a 57-43 vote March 23.
Five things to know about Dr. Murthy.
1. Dr. Murthy has served as surgeon general before. He first served in the role under former President Barack Obama and was surgeon general from Dec. 15, 2014, to April 21, 2017. He was the first surgeon general of Indian descent.
2. During his time as surgeon general, Dr. Murthy worked on the opioid crisis and other public health issues, according to The Washington Post. He also focused on mental health.
3. Dr. Murthy's original 2013 nomination faced scrutiny by Republicans. According to the Post and Times, the U.S. did not have a surgeon general for more than a year as his nomination stalled in the Senate, partly because of his support for stricter gun control. The Post reported that he continues to view gun violence was a public health problem.
4. During the nomination process this time around, the Post reported Feb. 20 that Dr. Murthy received more than $2 million in 2020 doing coronavirus-related consulting and speeches. According to the newspaper, which cited ethics documents filed in January, the consulting was for Carnival Corp.'s cruise lines, Airbnb's rental properties and other firms. Dr. Murthy vowed to recuse himself from conflicts as surgeon general, according to the Post. The Times reported that he pledged to prioritize ending the pandemic as well.
5. Dr. Murthy, who advised Joe Biden on COVID-19 during the 2020 presidential campaign, also co-founded Doctors for America, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization with more than 18,000 physician and medical student members from across the U.S.
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