HHS/NOMINATIONS: “Dr. Jerome Adams was confirmed as the US surgeon general this week, pledging to take on the country’s opioid epidemic. Adams, who was nominated for the role by President Donald Trump, is the 20th surgeon general to hold the position.
‘To be confirmed as the 20th US Surgeon General is truly an indescribable honor,’ Adams tweeted Thursday [8-3-17].
Adams is an anesthesiologist who previously served as the Indiana state health commissioner — ‘in essence the Surgeon General for Indiana,’ he said in a statement to the Senate committee. Prior to that, he served as a staff anesthesiologist and assistant professor of anesthesia at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he completed his medical degree. He earned undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and biopsychology and a master’s degree in public health…
Adams takes over for the current Acting Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams. She has been in the role since Dr. Vivek Murthy resigned at the request of the White House in April. The position of surgeon general was first created in 1871 to head the Marine Hospital Service, intended to relieve ‘sick and disabled seamen,’ according to Rutgers School of Public Health. The surgeon general, who is nominated by the president for a four-year term and confirmed by Congress, oversees the Health Corp, within the US Department of Health and Human Services.”
-Susan Scutti, “Dr. Jerome Adams confirmed as surgeon general,” CNN Health, CNN.com, Aug. 4, 2017 11:42am