Vivek Murthy - New Surgeon-General of the United States

By Dr. Jayesh B. Shah
President, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

Chicago, IL – Leaders of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) issued the following statement upon the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General.

“This news cements the reputation physicians of Indian origin have across America,” said Dr. Jayesh B. Shah, AAPI president. “President Obama has made the right choice in naming a highly qualified physician to serve as America’s next surgeon general. We are proud of Vivek and his many accomplishments and look forward to supporting him throughout the confirmation process,” said Dr. Shah.

“Vivek represents the next generation of Indian American physician,” said Dr. Harbhajan Ajrawat, AAPI Legislative Committee chairman. “His ethics, quiet leadership style and impeccable credentials make him the smart choice for this position. We will certainly mobilize the physician community to support his confirmation,” said Dr. Ajrawat.

“Dr. Murthy has joined us on Capitol Hill for our legislative functions, he has spoken to our members in conference calls and he has consistently engaged AAPI and physician organizations,” said Dr. Sampat Shivangi, AAPI Legislative Committee co-chairman. “We know how much this nomination means to our community,” he said.

Murthy received his B.A. in biochemical sciences from Harvard, and his M.B.A. and medical degrees from Yale. He previously served as President Obama’s appointee to the Presidential Advisory Council on Prevention, Health Promotion, Integrative and Public Health. He is an attending physician in general internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.