Morehouse Grad to Become New Surgeon General

POLITICS

» by Danielle Canada July 13, 2009, 11:26am

HBCU supporters nationwide should be preparing to rejoice, especially on the historic campus of Morehouse College. In a monumental move, President Obama is choosing a Morehouse grad to become the new Surgeon General. His pick is a 1982 grad of the Morehouse School of Medicine and also happens to be a woman, yes a woman. Her name is Dr. Regina Benjamin and while she does not have the notoriety of previous nominee and CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta, her track record is amazing.

Dubbed by the New York Times as “an angel in a white coat,” Benjamin has a reputation for being both determined and compassionate. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in the gulf coast of Alabama, she worked feverishly to rebuild it only to have it destroyed again by fire soon after. Starting with a $7 donation from a former patient, Benjamin won the hearts and check books of many leading to a $500,000 donation that she used to rebuild once again. In 2002 she became president of the Medical Association State of Alabama making her the first Black woman and the youngest doctor to be president of a State Medical Society in the United States. She also received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 1998 and was awarded a distinguished service medal from Pope Benedict XVI.

Go girl! Obama will formally announce Benjamin as his pick at a press conference later today.

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