View source for Surgeon General

{{Short description|Head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Surgeon General
| body = the<br />United States
| native_name = 
| insignia = United States Public Health Service (seal).svg
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = Seal of the United States Public Health Service
| insigniaalt = 
| flag = Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg
| flagsize = 
| flagalt = 
| flagborder = 
| flagcaption = Flag of the United States surgeon general
| image = Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General (profile).jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = Vice Admiral<br />[[Vivek Murthy]]
| acting = n
| incumbentsince = March 25, 2021
| department = [[United States Public Health Service|U.S. Public Health Service]]<br />[[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|Commissioned Corps]]
| style = Surgeon General<br />Vice Admiral
| type = 
| status = 
| abbreviation = SG<br />VADM
| member_of = 
| reports_to = [[Assistant Secretary for Health|United States Assistant Secretary for Health]]
| residence = 
| seat = [[Hubert H. Humphrey Building]], [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]] (HHS), [[Washington, D.C.]]
| appointer = [[President of the United States]]
| appointer_qualified = with [[United States Senate]] [[advice and consent]]
| termlength = 4 years
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = {{USC|42|205}} and<br />{{USC|42|207}}
| precursor = 
| formation = March 29, 1871
| first = [[John Maynard Woodworth|John M. Woodworth]] (as supervising surgeon)
| deputy = Deputy Surgeon General
| salary = 
| website = {{URL|http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/|www.SurgeonGeneral.gov}}
}}
The '''surgeon general of the United States''' is the operational head of the [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]] (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of [[public health]] in the [[federal government of the United States]]. The surgeon general's office and staff are known as the '''Office of the Surgeon General''' ('''OSG'''), which is housed within the [[Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/orgchart/oash/index.html|title=OASH Organization Chart|last=(ASPA)|first=Digital Communications Division (DCD), Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs|date=2008-10-24|work=HHS.gov|access-date=2018-11-19|language=en}}</ref>

The U.S. surgeon general is nominated by the [[president of the United States]] and [[Senate Confirmation|confirmed]] by the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. The surgeon general must be appointed from individuals who are members of the [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|regular corps]] of the [[United States Public Health Service|U.S. Public Health Service]] and have specialized training or significant experience in public health programs.<ref>{{USC|42|205}} - Appointment and tenure of office of Surgeon General; reversion in rank.</ref> However, there is no time requirement for membership in the Public Health Service before holding the office of the Surgeon General, and nominees traditionally were appointed as members of the Public Health Service and as surgeon general at the same time. The surgeon general serves a four-year term of office and, depending on whether the current [[United States Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]] is a [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|commissioned corps]] officer, is either the senior or next-most senior uniformed officer of the commissioned corps, [[#Service rank|holding the rank]] of [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]].<ref name="grades">{{USC|42|207}} - Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/uniforms.aspx|title=Public Health, Commissioned Corps Uniforms and Ranks|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513175033/http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/uniforms.aspx|archive-date=2008-05-13}}</ref> The current surgeon general is Vice Admiral [[Vivek Murthy]].

== Responsibilities ==
The surgeon general reports to the [[United States Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]] (ASH). The ASH may be a [[four-star admiral|four-star]] [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] in the commissioned corps, and serves as the principal advisor to the [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|secretary of health and human services]] on public health and [[Healthcare science|scientific]] issues. The [[Surgeon General|surgeon general]] is the overall head of the commissioned corps, a 6,500-member cadre of uniformed [[Health care provider|health professionals]] who are on call 24 hours a day and can be dispatched by the secretary of HHS or by the assistant secretary for health in the event of a public health emergency.

The surgeon general is also the ultimate award authority for several public health awards and decorations, the highest of which that can be directly awarded is the [[Surgeon General's Medallion]] (the highest award bestowed by board action is the [[Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal]]). The surgeon general also has many informal duties, such as educating the American public about health issues and advocating healthy lifestyle choices.

The office also periodically issues health warnings. Perhaps the best known example of this is the [[Tobacco_packaging_warning_messages#United_States|surgeon general's warning label]] that has been present on all packages of American tobacco cigarettes since 1966.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rjrt.com/tobacco-use-health/public-health-information/|title=Public Health Information {{!}} R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company|work=R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company|access-date=2017-08-16|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816194242/http://www.rjrt.com/tobacco-use-health/public-health-information/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A similar health warning has appeared on [[Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act|alcoholic beverages labels]] since 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://depts.washington.edu/fasdwa/legislat.htm|title=Legislation|website=depts.washington.edu|access-date=2017-08-16}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1798, Congress established the Marine Hospital Fund, a network of hospitals that cared for sick and disabled seamen. The Marine Hospital Fund was reorganized along military lines in 1870 and became the [[Marine Hospital Service]]—the predecessor to today's [[United States Public Health Service]]. The service became a separate bureau of the Treasury Department with its own staff, administration, headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the position of supervising surgeon, later surgeon general.

After 141 years under the Treasury Department, the Service came under the Federal Security Agency in 1939, then the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) in 1953, and finally the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)]].

Prior to 1970, the surgeon general was traditionally selected from career uniformed officers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Carmona |first=Richard |date=2014-11-09 |title=Take politics out of selecting surgeon general: Column |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/11/09/take-politics-out-of-selecting-surgeon-general-column/18772529/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125173540/https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/11/09/take-politics-out-of-selecting-surgeon-general-column/18772529/ |archive-date=2021-11-25 |access-date=2021-11-25 |website=USA Today |language=en-US}}</ref> Today, the surgeon general is usually selected from the civilian community, who aligns more closely with the president's political party.<ref name=":0" /> The office is not a particularly powerful one, and has little direct statutory impact on policy-making, but surgeons general are often vocal advocates of precedent-setting, far-sighted, unconventional, or even unpopular health policies.
* On January 11, 1964, [[Luther Terry]] published a landmark [[Smoking and Health|report]] saying that smoking may be hazardous to health,<ref name="Fenster">[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_62.shtml Julie M. Fenster] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828222246/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_62.shtml |date=2008-08-28 }} "Hazardous to Your Health" ''American Heritage,'' Oct. 2006.</ref> sparking nationwide anti-smoking efforts. Terry and his committee defined cigarette smoking of nicotine as ''not an [[substance dependence|addiction]].'' The committee itself consisted largely of physicians who themselves smoked. This report went uncorrected for 24 years.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Joel Spitzer]]|title=The Surgeon General says... |url=http://whyquit.com/videos/addiction2_bb64Kbps.mp3 |publisher=WhyQuit.com |access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref>
* In 1986, [[C. Everett Koop]]'s report on AIDS called for some form of AIDS education in the early grades of elementary school, and gave full support for using condoms for disease prevention.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3DE1739F93AA35753C1A96E948260|work=The New York Times|first= Mari|last=Winn|title=The Legacy of Dr. Koop|date=October 9, 1988}}</ref> He also resisted pressure from the [[Reagan administration]] to report that [[abortion]] was psychologically harmful to women, stating he believed it was a moral issue rather than one concerning the public health.
* In 1994, [[Joycelyn Elders]] spoke at a United Nations conference on AIDS. She was asked whether it would be appropriate to promote masturbation as a means of preventing young people from engaging in riskier forms of sexual activity. She replied, "I think that it is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught."<ref>Leon Dash, [https://archive.today/20120709115914/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n1-2_v29/ai_19034244 "Joycelyn Elders: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America"], ''Washington Monthly'', January–February 1997</ref> Elders also spoke in favor of studying drug legalization. In a reference to the national [[Abortion in the United States|abortion]] issue, she said, "We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus and start worrying about children."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/30/magazine/joycelyn-elders.html|title=Joycelyn Elders|first=Claudia|last=Dreifus|newspaper=The New York Times|date=9 March 1994}}</ref> She was fired by President [[Bill Clinton]] in December 1994.

The U.S. [[Surgeon General of the United States Army|Army]], [[Surgeon General of the United States Navy|Navy]], and [[Surgeon General of the United States Air Force|Air Force]] also have officers overseeing medical matters in their respective services who hold the title ''Surgeon General,'' of their respective services, while the surgeon general of the United States is surgeon general of the entire nation.

The insignia of the surgeon general, and the USPHS, use the [[Caduceus as a symbol of medicine|caduceus]] as opposed to the [[Rod of Asclepius]].

== Service rank ==
The surgeon general is a [[commissioned officer]] in the [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]], one of the eight [[uniformed services of the United States]], and by law holds the rank of [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]].<ref name=grades/> Officers of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are classified as non-combatants, but can be subjected to the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] (UCMJ) and the [[Geneva Conventions]] when designated by the [[President of the United States|commander-in-chief]] as a military force or if they are detailed or assigned to work with the [[United States armed forces|armed forces]]. Officers of the commissioned corps, including the surgeon general, wear uniforms that are modeled after uniforms of the [[United States Navy]] and the [[United States Coast Guard]], except that the commissioning devices, buttons, and insignia are unique. Officers in the U.S. Public Health Service wear unique devices that are similar to U.S. Navy staff corps officers (e.g., [[Navy Medical Service Corps]], [[Navy Supply Corps|Supply Corps]], etc.).

The only surgeon general to actually hold the rank of a four-star [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] was [[David Satcher]] (born 1941, served 1998–2002). This was because he served simultaneously in the positions of surgeon general (three-star) and [[Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]] (which is a four-star office).<ref name="satcher">{{cite web | title=David Satcher (1998–2002) | url=http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/previous/biosatcher.htm | publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | date=January 4, 2007 | access-date=January 22, 2009 | archive-date=January 6, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106032351/http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/previous/biosatcher.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[John Maynard Woodworth]] (1837–1879, served 1871–1879), was the first holder of the office as "supervising surgeon."

<gallery class="center" caption="Insignia">
PHSCC Collar Device.png|US Public Health Service Collar Device
CAP DEVICE UNMOUNTED PHS.PNG|US Public Health Service Cap Device
US PHS O9 insignia.svg|The stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of the surgeon general
</gallery>

== List of surgeons general of the United States ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan=2| {{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Appointed by<br />{{small|(term)}}
! rowspan=2| {{Abbr|Ref.|Refences}}
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| 1
| [[File:John M. Woodworth.jpg|75px]]
| '''[[John Maynard Woodworth|John M. Woodworth]]'''<br />{{small|(1837–1879)}}
| March 29, 1871
| March 14, 1879
| {{ayd|1871|03|29|1879|03|14}}
| [[Ulysses S. Grant]]<br />{{small|(1869–1877)}}
|
|-
| 2
| [[File:Surgeon General John B. Hamilton.jpg|101x101px]]
| [[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]]<br />'''[[John B. Hamilton]]'''<br />{{small|(1847–1898)}}
| April 3, 1879
| June 1, 1891
| {{ayd|April 3, 1879|June 1, 1891}}
| [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]<br />{{small|(1877–1881)}}
|
|-
| 3
| [[File:Walter Wyman, ca. 1898 (B026910).jpg|75px]]
| Commodore<br />'''[[Walter Wyman]]'''<br />{{small|(1848–1911)}}
| June 1, 1891
| November 21, 1911
| {{ayd|June 1, 1891|November 21, 1911}}
| [[Benjamin Harrison]]<br />{{small|(1889–1893)}}
|
|-
| 4
| [[File:Rupert Blue 3.jpg|75px]]
| Commodore<br />'''[[Rupert Blue]]'''<br />{{small|(1868–1948)}}
| January 13, 1912
| March 3, 1920
| {{ayd|January 13, 1912|March 3, 1920}}
| [[William Howard Taft]]<br />{{small|(1909–1913)}}
|
|-
| 5
| [[File:Hugh S. Cumming.jpg|75px]]
| [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral|Rear Admiral]]<br />'''[[Hugh S. Cumming]]'''<br />{{small|(1869–1948)}}
| March 3, 1920
| January 31, 1936
| {{ayd|March 3, 1920|January 31, 1936}}
| [[Woodrow Wilson]]<br />{{small|(1913–1921)}}
|
|-
| 6
| [[File:Thomas Parran, Jr., photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Thomas Parran Jr.]]'''<br />{{small|(1892–1968)}}
| April 6, 1936
| April 6, 1948
| {{ayd|April 6, 1936|April 6, 1948}}
| [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]<br />{{small|(1933–1945)}}
|
|-
| 7
| [[File:Rear Admiral Leonard Scheele.jpg|97x97px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Leonard A. Scheele]]'''<br />{{small|(1907–1993)}}
| April 6, 1948
| August 8, 1956
| {{ayd|April 6, 1948|August 8, 1956}}
| [[Harry S. Truman]]<br />{{small|(1945–1953)}}
|
|-
| 8
| [[File:Leroy Edgar Burney, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Leroy Edgar Burney|Leroy E. Burney]]'''<br /><small>(1906–1998)</small>
| August 8, 1956
| January 29, 1961
| {{ayd|August 8, 1956|January 29, 1961}}
| [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<br />{{small|(1953–1961)}}
|
|-
| 9
| [[File:Luther Terry photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg|75px]]
| '''[[Luther Terry]]'''<br />{{small|(1911–1985)}}
| March 2, 1961
| October 1, 1965
| {{ayd|March 2, 1961|October 1, 1965}}
| [[John F. Kennedy]]<br />{{small|(1961–1963)}}
|
|-
| 10
| [[File:William H. Stewart, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg|75px]]
| '''[[William H. Stewart]]'''<br />{{small|(1921–2008)}}
| October 1, 1965
| August 1, 1969
| {{ayd|October 1, 1965|August 1, 1969}}
| [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<br />{{small|(1963–1969)}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''Richard A. Prindle'''<br />{{small|({{circa}} 1926–2001)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| August 1, 1969
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| December 18, 1969
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|August 1, 1969|December 18, 1969}}
| rowspan=3| [[Richard Nixon]]<br />{{small|(1969–1974)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| <ref>{{cite news|title=House Panel Bids U.S. Study Marijuana's Use and Effects|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/09/07/89369343.html?pageNumber=62|access-date=22 April 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=Associated Press|date=September 7, 1969|page=62}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Zielinski|first1=Graeme|title=Public Health Researcher Richard Prindle Dies|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/09/15/public-health-researcher-richard-prindle-dies/cdb8089c-d960-49c6-af77-23de6552e4cf/|access-date=22 April 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 15, 2001}}</ref>
|-
| 11
| [[File:Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg|75px]]
| '''[[Jesse Leonard Steinfeld|Jesse L. Steinfeld]]'''<br />{{small|(1927–2014)}}
| December 18, 1969
| January 30, 1973
| {{ayd|December 18, 1969|January 30, 1973}}
| <ref>{{cite news|title=Washington: For the Record – December 18, 1969|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/12/19/88872725.html?pageNumber=7|access-date=22 April 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 19, 1969|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/previous/biosteinfeld.html |title=Jesse Leonard Steinfeld (1969–1973) |publisher=SurgeonGeneral.gov |date=2007-01-04 |access-date=2014-04-29 |archive-date=2017-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201191745/https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/previous/biosteinfeld.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:Rear Admiral S. Paul Ehrlich, Jr.jpg|96x96px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[S. Paul Ehrlich Jr.]]'''<br />{{small|(1932–2005)<br />''Acting''}}
| January 31, 1973
| July 13, 1977
| {{ayd|January 31, 1973|July 13, 1977}}
| <ref>{{Cite report |url=http://gao.gov/products/094195 |title=Need for More Effective Management of Community Mental Health Centers Program: National Institute of Mental Health; Department of Health, Education, and Welfare |last=U.S. Government Accountability Office |date=27 August 1974 |issue=B-164031(5) |author-link=Government Accountability Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006194536/https://www.gao.gov/assets/b-164031%285%29-094195.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 12
| [[File:Julius Richmond, Surgeon General official photo.jpg|75px]]
| [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]]<br />'''[[Julius B. Richmond]]'''<br />{{small|(1916–2008)}}
| July 13, 1977
| January 20, 1981
| {{ayd|July 13, 1977|January 20, 1981}}
| [[Jimmy Carter]]<br />{{small|(1977–1981)}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac/archive/2003/historical/dhhs.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924145912/http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac/archive/2003/historical/dhhs.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-09-24 |title=HHS Secretaries |publisher=National Institutes of Health |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:1980 John C Greene in Official United States Rear Admiral Uniform.jpg|frameless|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[John C. Greene]]'''<br />{{small|(1936–2016)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| January 21, 1981
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| May 14, 1981
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|January 21, 1981|May 14, 1981}}
| rowspan=3| [[Ronald Reagan]]<br />{{small|(1981–1989)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 
| '''[[Edward Brandt Jr.]]'''<br />{{small|(1933–2007)<br />''Acting''}}
| May 14, 1981
| January 21, 1982
| {{ayd|May 14, 1981|January 21, 1982}}
|
|-
| 13
| [[File:C. Everett Koop, 1980s.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[C. Everett Koop]]'''<br />{{small|(1916–2013)}}
| January 21, 1982
| October 1, 1989
| {{ayd|January 21, 1982|October 1, 1989}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:James O. Mason USPHS.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]<br />'''[[James O. Mason]]'''<br />{{small|(1930–2019)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| October 1, 1989
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| March 9, 1990
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|October 1, 1989|March 9, 1990}}
| rowspan=2| [[George H. W. Bush]]<br />{{small|(1989–1993)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
|-
| 14
| [[File:VADM Antonia Novello.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Antonia Novello]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1944)}}
| March 9, 1990
| June 30, 1993
| {{ayd|March 9, 1990|June 30, 1993}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:RADM Robert A Whitney Jr.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Robert A. Whitney]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1935)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| July 1, 1993
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| September 8, 1993
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|July 1, 1993|September 8, 1993}}
| rowspan=4| [[Bill Clinton]]<br />{{small|(1993–2001)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
|-
| 15
| [[File:Joycelyn Elders official photo portrait.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Joycelyn Elders]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1933)}}
| September 8, 1993
| December 31, 1994
| {{ayd|September 8, 1993|December 31, 1994}}
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:Audrey Manley, DHHS official bw photo.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Audrey F. Manley]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1934)<br />''Acting''}}
| January 1, 1995
| July 1, 1997
| {{ayd|January 1, 1995|June 30, 1997}}
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:J._Jarrett_Clinton_Portrait.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[J. Jarrett Clinton]]'''<br />{{small|(1938–2023)<br />''Acting''}}
| July 2, 1997
| February 12, 1998
| {{ayd|July 1, 1997|February 12, 1998}}
|
|-
| 16
| [[File:David Satcher official photo portrait.jpg|75px]]
| Admiral{{efn|Reverted to the rank of vice admiral in 2001, for the remainder of his term as surgeon general, when he no longer held the office of [[Assistant Secretary for Health]].}}<br />'''[[David Satcher]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1941)}}
| February 13, 1998
| February 12, 2002
| {{ayd|February 13, 1998|February 12, 2002}}
| <ref name="satcher"/>
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Kenneth P. Moritsugu]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1945)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| February 13, 2002
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| August 4, 2002
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|February 13, 2002|August 4, 2002}}
| rowspan=4| [[George W. Bush]]<br />{{small|(2001–2009)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 
|-
| 17
| [[File:Richard carmona.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Richard Carmona]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1949)}}
| August 5, 2002
| July 31, 2006
| {{ayd|August 5, 2002|July 31, 2006}}
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Kenneth P. Moritsugu]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1945)<br />''Acting''}}
| August 1, 2006
| September 30, 2007
| {{ayd|August 1, 2006|September 30, 2007}}
|
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:Steven K Galson.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Steven K. Galson]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1956)<br />''Acting''}}
| October 1, 2007
| October 1, 2009
| {{ayd|October 1, 2007|October 1, 2009}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:Donald L. Weaver official portrait.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Donald L. Weaver]]'''<br />{{small|''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| October 1, 2009
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| November 3, 2009
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|October 1, 2009|November 3, 2009}}
| rowspan=4| [[Barack Obama]]<br />{{small|(2009–2017)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
|-
| 18
| [[File:Regina Benjamin official portrait.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Regina Benjamin]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1956)}}
| November 3, 2009
| July 16, 2013
| {{ayd|November 3, 2009|July 16, 2013}}
| <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56C3HI20090713|title=Obama picks Regina Benjamin as surgeon general|work=Reuters | date=July 13, 2009}}</ref><ref name="start">{{cite news|url=http://www.wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=1829595|work=WTOP|first=Mike|last=Stobbe|title=Surgeon general: More minority doctors needed|date=December 3, 2009| access-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref>
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| [[File:RADM Boris Lushniak acting Surgeon General.jpg|75px]]
| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Boris Lushniak]]'''<br />{{small|''Acting''}}
| July 17, 2013
| December 18, 2014
| {{ayd|July 17, 2013|December 18, 2014}}
|
|-
| 19
| [[File:Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, USPHS.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Vivek Murthy]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1977)}}
| December 18, 2014
| April 21, 2017
| {{ayd|December 18, 2014|April 21, 2017}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:Sylvia Trent-Adams Official Portrait.jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Sylvia Trent-Adams]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1965)<br />''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| April 21, 2017
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| September 5, 2017
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| {{ayd|April 21, 2017|September 5, 2017}}
| rowspan="2" | [[Donald Trump]]<br />{{small|(2017–2021)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Collier|first=Andrea King|date=2017-05-04|title=5 things to know about acting Surgeon General, Sylvia Trent-Adams|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/5-things-know-about-acting-u-s-surgeon-general-sylvia-n754451|access-date=2021-01-26|website=NBC News|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| 20
| [[File:Jerome Adams 2019.jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Jerome Adams]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1974)}}
| September 5, 2017
| January 20, 2021
| {{ayd|September 5, 2017|January 20, 2021}}
|
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| [[File:RADM Susan Orsega (two-star).jpg|75px]]
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| Rear Admiral<br />'''[[Susan Orsega]]'''<br />{{small|''Acting''}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| January 20, 2021
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| March 24, 2021
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| 62 days
| rowspan="2" | [[Joe Biden]]<br />{{small|(2021–Present)}}
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|<ref>{{Cite news|last=Diamond|first=Dan|date=2021-01-25|title=Biden to tap nurse as acting surgeon general|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/25/biden-appoints-nurse-acting-surgeon-general/|access-date=2021-01-26|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|-
| 21
| [[File:Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General (profile).jpg|75px]]
| Vice Admiral<br />'''[[Vivek Murthy]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1977)}}
| March 25, 2021
| ''Present''
| {{ayd|March 25, 2021}}
|
|-
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|United States|Politics}}
* [[Chief Medical Officer (Ireland)]]
* [[Chief Medical Officer (United Kingdom)]]
* [[Chief Public Health Officer of Canada]]
* [[Medical Officer of Health]]
* [[Surgeon General]]
* [[Surgeon General of the United States Air Force]]
* [[Surgeon General of the United States Army]]
* [[Surgeon General of the United States Navy]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/index.html Official website of the U.S. Surgeon General]
** [http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/previous/index.html Previous Surgeons General]
* [http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/retrieve/Collection/CID/NN Reports of the Surgeon General] from the [[National Library of Medicine]]'s "Profiles in Science"

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Surgeon General Of The United States}}

[[Category:Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health]]
[[Category:Surgeons General of the United States| ]]
[[Category:United States Department of Health and Human Services officials]]
[[Category:United States Public Health Service]]
[[Category:United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]]
[[Category:United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals|*]]