Letter from American College of Physicians Sent to Congressional Leaders
February 3, 2014
| Honorable Tom Harkin Chairman Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 |
Honorable Lamar Alexander Ranking Minority Member Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 |
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Alexander:
On behalf of the American College of Physicians (ACP), we want to express our strong support for President Obama's nomination of Vivek Hallegere Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. to the position of Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Murthy is a well-respected internist and member of the College who will serve the country well in this role.
ACP is the largest medical specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States, representing 137,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum, from health to complex illness.
Dr. Murthy is an esteemed faculty member at Harvard Medical School and hospitalist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a strong advocate for the provision of health insurance coverage to all Americans and is a proven leader who can build coalitions among diverse individuals to ensure better health for our communities. Additionally, Dr. Murthy has extensive experience with protecting the public's health, including serving on the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health; co-founding VISIONS Worldwide in 1995, a non-profit organization focused on HIV/AIDS education in India and the United States; and co-founding TrialNetworks, an organization aimed at optimizing the quality and efficiency of clinical operations at each stage of a trial from feasibility through closeout. Therefore, ACP encourages a swift appointment of Dr. Murthy to the role of Surgeon General.
Sincerely,
Charles Cutler, MD, Chair, Board of Regents, American College of Physicians
Steven E. Weinberger, MD, EVP/CEO, American College of Physicians
CC: Members, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Contact:
David Kinsman, (202) 261-4554, dkinsman@acponline.org
Jacquelyn Blaser, (202) 261-4572, jblaser@acponline.org