David Satcher, MD, nominated as US surgeon general
On Sept. 12, President Bill Clinton nominated family physician David Satcher, MD, of Atlanta as US surgeon general and assistant secretary of health.
If the Senate approves the nomination, Dr. Satcher will be the first FP to serve as surgeon general. An AAFP member, he has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 1993. Prior to joining the CDC, he was president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN, for 11 years.
During the nomination ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Vice President Al Gore said Dr. Satcher learned about doctors firsthand when, as a child, he survived a near-fatal bout with whooping cough.
"On the small farm where David Satcher grew up, he relied on a dedicated country doctor, the only African-American doctor in the area, to come to his family's side in times of need," said President Clinton. "That man, Dr. Jackson, helped save David Satcher's life. ... In part because of the inspiration of his family doctor, David Satcher is uniquely qualified to be America's family doctor."
"I want to be the surgeon general who reaches our citizens with cutting-edge technology and plain, old-fashioned straight talk," said Dr. Satcher. "Whether we're talking about smoking or poor diets, I want to send messages to our cities and our suburbs, our barrios and reservations, and even our prisons. I want to take the best science in the world and place it firmly within the grasp of all Americans."
The Academy applauded the nomination and called for his prompt confirmation.
Dr. Satcher
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