On Monday, President Obama nominated Regina M. Benjamin, MD, to be the next Surgeon General of the United States.
Jul 14, 2009 9:50 AM -
Benjamin is the founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and the immediate past-chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. Prior to that, she served as associate dean for rural health at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. In 2002, she became president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, making her the first African American woman to be president of a state medical society in the US.
In nominating Benjamin, Obama said, "Health care reform is about every family's health and the health of our economy. … if there's anyone who understands the urgency of meeting this challenge in a personal and powerful way, it's the woman who will become our nation's next Surgeon General… ."
Benjamin's nomination requires confirmation by the Senate.
