IANS
Former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy is tipped for a big role in Joe Biden’s healthcare team, as the President-elect readies to name consequential picks to lead the next administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Murthy, one of the most famous doctors in the Indian-American community that is known for physicians, currently co-chairs the Biden-Harris Transition’s Covid-19 task force.
Biden is expected to announce his choice for Health and Human Services Secretary next week and Murthy is reportedly in the running for this position as well being a top choice for his earlier role of Surgeon General, according to chatter filtering out from the Biden Transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.
Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, from December 15, 2014 to April 21, 2017.
Known for his soft spoken demeanor, he is the author of NYT bestseller Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.
Murthy was asked to resign by President Donald Trump in 2017, although he was in 2014 named to a four year term by then President Barack Obama.
While serving as Surgeon General, Murthy fought the spread of Ebola and the Zika virus, among other public health challenges.
In his early years as ER doctor, Murthy treated plenty of gunshot victims and has spoken out consistently against gun violence.
Egged on by an angry gun rights lobby, Senate Republicans ganged up and put Murthy’s nomination for Surgeon General in limbo for many months.
On Thursday, Biden also spoke with Anthony Fauci who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Biden told CNN he’s making Fauci a chief medical adviser and a member of his Covid-19 advisory team.