Who is Vivek Murthy?
- Vivek Murthy is likely to become the US representative to the WHO executive board
- The 45-year-old is currently serving as the 21st Surgeon General of US
- He is the founding president of the group Doctors for America
US President Joe Biden is set to nominate Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to be the next US representative on the World Health Organisation’s executive board, according to a Reuters exclusive from Tuesday. US did not have a representative on the WHO executive board since Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the UN and all its associate bodies, including the WHO, in 2020.
Reacting to the news, Murthy told Reuters in a statement: “If confirmed, I will continue to elevate U.S leadership on the global stage and ensure public health is at the forefront of our planning and preparation for global challenges.”
Also read: Omicron causes more deaths than Delta variant in United States: Report
Who is Vivek Murthy?
Vivek Murthy was born to first-generation Indian migrants H N Lakshminarasimha Murthy and Maithreya Murthy in Huddersfield, Yorkshire on July 10, 1977. Both his parents were in medicine and established their medical practice in Florida.
Murthy is currently serving as the 21st Surgeon General of the US and serves as a vice admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the 19th Surgeon General of US under president Barrack Obama from December 2015 till he was relieved of his duties by Donald Trump in April 2017.
Murthy was reinstated in the post by Joe Biden in March 2021, after he assumed office as the US president.
He obtained a BA degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University in 1997 and went on to earn his MD degree from the Yale School of Medicine in 2003. After that, he did an MBA from The Yale School of Management.
Also read: US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and his family test positive for COVID-19
Murthy became a leader in the doctor’s community after founded Doctors for America, a group of medical practitioners and students who advocate high-quality affordable care for everyone. He also serves as the president of the organisation since its founding in 2008.
Murthy has been at the forefront of America’s healthcare as the country dealt with multiple serious health crises, such as the Ebola and Zika viruses, the Flinch Michigan water crisis, and the ongoing opioid epidemic.
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