Prominent public health experts are pressuring President-elect Biden and his team to include a doctor or experienced health professional in the Cabinet — and growing increasingly alarmed this week that their warnings will go unheeded.
Several former state and local health officials, leaders of public health advocacy groups, and representatives from physician groups have placed calls to contacts advising Biden, drafted formal correspondence to the transition, or, in the case of numerous physician groups, worked to draft open letters stressing the necessity for Biden to appoint high-ranking officials with medical expertise.
The push comes after the Biden transition this week informed Vivek Murthy, the former surgeon general and a top Biden Covid-19 adviser, that he was no longer under consideration to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Murthy, instead, has been asked to serve once again as U.S. surgeon general, Politico reported. He previously held the post from 2014 to 2017, when President Trump dismissed him three months following his inauguration.
About the Author Reprints
To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.
STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect