(Circulation. 1998;97:1337.)
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.
The Surgeon General: David Satcher, MD, PhD
Ruth SoRelle, Circulation Newswriter
For the first time in 3 years, the United States has a
national physician: David Satcher, MD, PhD, who has already made his
commitment to the prevention of disease clear in the 4 years he headed
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One of 10 children born to parents who did not finish their schooling,
Dr Satcher nearly died of whooping cough. He learned that early lesson
well and is credited with spearheading the recent increases in
immunization rates among US infants and toddlers.
In contrast to previous nominees to the post of US Surgeon General in
the Clinton Administration, Dr Satcher received wide bipartisan
support, avoiding the stumbling block of the abortion litmus test that
had kept the office vacant for so long. President Clinton's first
surgeon general, Joycelyn Elders, MD, resigned under pressure after
making a comment about teenage masturbation as preferable to teenage
sex. Her views on other issues such as abortion, teen sexuality, and
condoms made her a lightning rod in the administration. The
President's next nominee, Henry Foster, Jr, MD, stumbled over the
abortion issue. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, he had performed
abortions, a fact that angered the Republican right. Dr Satcher, in
comparision, encountered little opposition.
When he was sworn in, Dr Satcher made clear his commitment to the tasks
of prevention and his hope of making the office he is assuming the
"bully pulpit" that marked the tenure of C. Everett Koop, MD.
"As surgeon general, as Robert Frost said, I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep.
"The promise that every child will have a better chance for a healthy
start.
"The promise that teenagers will be challenged to treat their minds
and bodies and spirits with the respect and responsibility they
deserve.
"The promise to bring clarity to a changing healthcare system and to
help ensure that it serves well and that it serves all the American
people.
"The promise to help harness science and technology and to advance
health and healing.
"The promise to work to ensure that every American will have an equal
chance for a healthy life.
"The promise that all Americans will understand what they can do to
have a healthy life, which includes physical activity, good nutrition,
avoiding drugs, and avoiding tobacco, our leading killer."
At the November Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla, Dr Satcher pledged
his support to the American Heart Association's prevention programs,
calling for a government partnership with the voluntary health
organizations as one of the best ways to improve the health of the
public overall.
In particular, Dr Satcher, a family physician and an expert in
genetics, will target teenage smoking, a problem that he spotlighted in
his speech at the Orlando meeting. How outspoken he will be remains to
be seen. He has walked a fine political line in the highly visible post
at the CDC.
Dr Satcher, 56, received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse
College in Atlanta and was the first black person to graduate from Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland with both an MD and a PhD. He
was president of Meharry Medical College from 1982 until he was named
director of the CDC. Before joining Meharry, he served as professor and
chairman of the department of community medicine and family practice at
the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. He was once on the faculty
of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine and
the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he founded and
chaired the first department of family medicine. From 1977 to 1979, he
served as interim dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical
School. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academy of Sciences and has received a host of awards honoring his
medical and public service. He and his wife, Nola, have four children
and currently live in Atlanta.
