Biden to nominate Vivek Murthy for surgeon general

President-elect Joe R. Biden intends to nominate Vivek Murthy, MD, for surgeon general, a post he previously held in the latter-days of the Obama administration and beginning of the Trump administration.

Murthy, 43, was an early proponent of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and co-founded an organization aimed at expanding affordable healthcare before being confirmed to the role of surgeon general in December 2014, according to a 2016 interview he gave to The New York Times.

He has been one of the first surgeons general to put an emphasis on emotional wellness saying that it should be treated as the “third pillar of health.”

“Stress is an epidemic in our country, and sometimes people turn to unhealthy methods of dealing with it, whether it’s unhealthy foods, or drugs and alcohol, or violence,” he told the Times.

Murthy, who served until April 2017, is expected to have an expanded role in the continued battle against the COVID-19 coronavirus, CNN reports.

“I never dreamed I’d have the honor to once again serve as Surgeon General,” Murthy wrote on Twitter. “In this moment of crisis, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help end this pandemic, be a voice for science, and support our nation on its path to rebuilding and healing.”