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CNN's Sanjay Gupta: New Surgeon General?
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CNN is confirming that Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the network's chief medical reporter, has been approached by the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama and is the leading contender to become the next Surgeon General.
The news of his selection was first reported Tuesday by the Washington Post. The story has since been confirmed by transition officials and CNN. Dr. Gupta has declined to comment on the story.
The Surgeon General is the titular head of the United States Public Health Services Commissioned Corps, and was originally established in the 1960s to treat and quarantine sailors. The organization briefly had its profile raised under the leadership of C. Evertt Koop, who became well-known for his stance against cigarette smoking.
During the Clinton administration, Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders was fired after her outspoken advocacy of legalizing some drugs, distributing contraceptives in schools and a remark about masturbation.
The role of Surgeon General as a public health advisor has shrunk in the years since, and Dr. Richard Carmona, who held the role early in the Bush Adminstration, testified to Congress complaining about his treatment. He testified that Adminstration officials had forced him to trumpet White House priorities, supressed or weakened important public health reports, and restricted his travel and access to the President.
The Senate failed to approve President Bush's next nominee for the position of Surgeon General in 2006, and since then the position has been filled by bureaucrats from the commissioned corps.
One unanswered question is whether Gupta would be willing to walk away from a thriving media empire he has built during his days at CNN. Besides his work on the cable news network, he makes regular appearances on "The CBS Evening News" and writes a regular column for Time Magazine. He published his first book in 2007, and makes regular paid speeches. The All American Talent and Celebrity Network lists his speaking fees as $30,001 to $50,000 per appearance.
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