HEALTHSurgeon general, NIH head named by White HousePresident Bush made progress in filling longstanding leaderships gaps by announcing two key appointments -- Richard Carmona, MD, as surgeon general, and Elias Zerhouni, MD, as head of the NIH.By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. April 15, 2002. Washington -- President Bush reached into the Arizona medical community to select his nominee for surgeon general. He chose Richard Carmona, MD, a professor of surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and a 1993 Physician of the Year for Pima County. The official announcement was made on March 26. A high school dropout from New York City, Dr. Carmona made an about-face after a stint as a medic and weapons specialist in Vietnam. He has spent the years since making up for lost time. Aside from his medical achievements, Dr. Carmona is also a member of the Pima County SWAT team and received a Top Cop award from the National Assn. of Police Organizations in 2000. On the same day, President Bush also made official the rumored nomination of Elias Zerhouni, MD, to head the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Zerhouni, a radiologist, is executive vice dean of Johns Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore.
Dr. Carmona worked on Tucson's medical preparedness plan for 2 years.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson praised Dr. Zerhouni's "track record of bringing together the best minds from across the medical spectrum and asking them to think beyond the existing bounds of knowledge." Jordan J. Cohen, MD, president of the Assn. of American Medical Colleges, also praised the nomination of Dr. Zerhouni. "I am confident that he will provide the kind of scientific leadership needed as the fifteenth director of the NIH -- the world's premier biomedical research institution," Dr. Cohen said. Both nominations now must be confirmed by the Senate. CredentialsDr. Carmona is a longtime AMA member and has received the Association's strong backing. "Born in Harlem and the first member of his family to graduate from college, Dr. Carmona has epitomized the American dream, distinguishing himself as the University of California's top medical school graduate and Pima County Medical Society's 'Physician of the Year,' " said Timothy T. Flaherty, MD, chair of AMA's Board of Trustees. Following in the respected footsteps of David Satcher, MD, who stepped down as surgeon general in February, Dr. Carmona is expected by many to be an energetic advocate for the public's health. "With a master's in public health policy and a personal commitment to emergency preparedness, Dr. Carmona would bring knowledge, expertise and experience to the office of surgeon general," said Dr. Flaherty. Those credentials led Chic Older, executive vice president of the Arizona Medical Assn. and a longtime friend of Dr. Carmona's to say, "There is nobody more qualified at this time in our country to serve as surgeon general." "He has got the stuff, he is exceptionally well-thought-of medically, he is well-organized, he's a walk-the-talk type of guy," said Older. For instance, Older said Dr. Carmona recently met with Thomas Scully, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They discussed problems physicians continue to have with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. "So he's not a guy who is standing on a pedestal. He is a person who is an advocate, who we can count on, who gets his nose into things and understands the difference between stories and results," Older said. Dr. Carmona could also serve as a model for a new action hero. He once dangled from a helicopter in a dramatic cliff-side rescue that inspired a made-for-TV movie. He was awarded two purple hearts for his service in the Army. His Top Cop award came at a high price. He stopped to help at a traffic accident in 1999. A man who had been driving one of the cars was assaulting a woman who had been driving the other. The man drew a gun and fired a shot that grazed Dr. Carmona's head, according to press reports. Dr. Carmona returned fire, killing the man. Dr. Carmona later said that he had been devastated by those events. As a surgeon, he said, he was dedicated to saving lives. The job aheadPresident Bush pointed to Dr. Carmona's law enforcement and community preparedness background as important qualifications for the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era. "Dr. Carmona is an experienced voice to help educate Americans about the best precautions and response to the threat of bioterrorism," said the president. The Tucson surgeon recognized the threat of bioterrorism earlier than most and, according to press reports, pointed out in 1996 that his hometown and other cities in the nation were not prepared for a biological weapons strike. Tucson received a federal grant in 1999, and Dr. Carmona and others worked for two years developing the city's medical preparedness plan. If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Carmona will also lead a national initiative on prevention and lifestyle changes, said Bush. Even small changes in diet and exercise can make a big difference in combating such diseases as diabetes and heart disease, noted the president. Dr. Carmona would also be tackling the problems of alcohol and drug abuse, Bush said. "Dr. Carmona is going to speak regularly to the nation about alcohol and drug abuse, and the tremendous toll they take on our society," he said. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Top doc profilesRichard Carmona, MDPresident Bush's nominee for surgeon general Specialty: Surgery
Elias A. Zerhouni, MDPresident Bush's nominee as director of the National Institutes of Health. Specialty: Radiology
Copyright 2002 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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