Vivek Murthy: A Profile in Public Health Service, Education, and Advocacy
Vivek Murthy has distinguished himself as a prominent figure in American public health, serving twice as the Surgeon General of the United States. His career is marked by a commitment to addressing critical health challenges, advocating for preventive care, and emphasizing the importance of human connection. This article delves into Murthy's educational background, career trajectory, and significant contributions to public health.
Early Life and Education
Vivek Murthy was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. His parents, Hallegere Narayana Lakshminarasimha Murthy and Myetraie Murthy, were Iyengars from Karnataka, India. His grandfather, H. C. Narayana Murthy, was a director of the Mysore Sugar Company. In 1978, the family moved to Newfoundland, Canada, where his father worked as a district medical officer. Murthy was raised and completed his early education in Miami, graduating as valedictorian from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in 1994.
Murthy's academic journey continued at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in biochemical sciences. He furthered his education by earning an M.D. from Yale School of Medicine and an M.B.A.
Early Career and Entrepreneurial Ventures
While a Harvard freshman in 1995, Murthy co-founded VISIONS Worldwide, which he led for eight years, focusing on youth education about HIV/AIDS. He also co-founded Harvard's bhajan club. Murthy completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Path to Surgeon General
Murthy's involvement in healthcare advocacy began early in his career. In 2008, he helped launch Doctors for Obama, a group of approximately 10,000 doctors who supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. This group later rebranded as Doctors for America in 2009, expanding its membership significantly. Murthy served as president of Doctors for America, advocating for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as "Obamacare."
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In November 2013, President Obama nominated Murthy to succeed Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. However, his confirmation faced significant opposition, primarily due to his political advocacy work. Despite the challenges, the Senate confirmed Murthy in December 2014 by a vote of 51-43, making him the first person of Indian descent to serve in the position and the youngest since John B. Hamilton (1879-91). He also holds the distinction of being the youngest active-duty flag officer in federal uniformed service.
First Term as Surgeon General (2014-2017)
During his first term as Surgeon General under President Obama, Murthy addressed various critical health issues. He worked on challenges such as the Ebola and Zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the increasing use of e-cigarettes among youth.
From the beginning of his tenure, Murthy spoke about the importance of creating a culture of prevention in America, one that is grounded in physical activity, nutrition, and emotional well-being. As part of this effort, he issued Step It Up! The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. For the first anniversary of the Call to Action, he led a two-week public-private partnership with Fitbit called the Step it Up Challenge that engaged more than 600,000 people to increase their physical activity with an industry record-setting 60 billion steps.
Murthy's 2016 surgeon general report on e-cigarette use among youths emphasized the vulnerability of young people to the products and recommended that e-cigarettes be incorporated into existing smoke-free policies to prevent youth from accessing e-cigarettes. In a 2016 interview, he stated "by the end of the century, we are looking at an increase of tens of thousands of illnesses and death episodes because of climate change." Murthy has also spoken out against conversion therapy, stating that "conversion therapy is not sound medical practice…"
Interlude: Focus on Loneliness and Social Connection
After being relieved of his duties as Surgeon General by President Trump in April 2017, Murthy focused on the issue of loneliness and social isolation. He appeared on various television and radio shows and wrote numerous articles on these subjects. Murthy stated he was shocked by how often he encountered people suffering from severe loneliness during his medical career, and argued that loneliness in America has become prevalent enough to count as an "epidemic".
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In 2017, between his two stints as Surgeon General, he wrote an essay for Harvard Business Review calling loneliness a “growing health epidemic” and stating the importance of building interpersonal connections in the workplace. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, amid which he released his book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. This best-selling book describes the need to combat society’s loneliness epidemic and offers suggestions on how to build connection.
Return to the Role of Surgeon General (2021-Present)
On September 5, 2020, Murthy joined the advisory council of the Biden-Harris Transition Team. On November 9, he was announced as one of the three co-chairs of then-President-Elect Biden's coronavirus advisory board, alongside former FDA commissioner David A.
In March 2021, Murthy was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 57-43 as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States.
In July 2021 Murthy released a health advisory entitled Confronting Health Misinformation, which warned against the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. In the advisory, he asked social media platforms to adjust their policies “to avoid amplifying misinformation” and to “impose clear consequences for accounts” that violate those policies. This advisory and other government communications with social media platforms prompted some states and social media users to mount a legal challenge to Murthy and the government for violating the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Missouri v. Biden (2023). Supreme Court’s review of the case, Murthy, Surgeon General, et. al. v. Missouri et.
In 2023, after returning to the role of surgeon general, Murthy released an advisory on this subject entitled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. That same year Murthy released a surgeon general’s advisory entitled Social Media and Youth Mental Health. He based it on research showing that, despite some salutary effects of social media on youth, there is ample evidence pointing to its negative impact on mental health. He contended that technology companies, parents, and caregivers needed to take action to avoid the dangers of social media, writing, “Now is the time to act swiftly and decisively to protect children and adolescents from risk of harm.”
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Following up on this issue in 2024, Murthy wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times calling on Congress to mandate warning labels on social media platforms. Such labels, similar to the surgeon general’s warning on a pack of cigarettes, would inform users that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. As he wrote, “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.” Murthy noted that the government has required seat belts and airbags in cars and has issued mandates to ensure safety in other industries. “Why is it,” he asked, “that we have failed to respond to the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food?”
The year 2024 continued to be an active one for Murthy in the public eye when he released a surgeon general’s advisory entitled Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America, which details how gun deaths and injuries have become a public health crisis. The advisory notes that since 2020 the leading cause of death among children and adolescents (ages 1-19) has been firearm-related injury, surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, and drug overdose. He urged lawmakers to prohibit large-capacity magazines for civilian use, to implement universal background checks, and to require safe storage of firearms, among other steps.
Also in 2024 Murthy released a surgeon general’s advisory entitled Parents Under Pressure, which outlines the stresses and struggles of parents and caregivers in raising children. He urged policymakers and companies to find ways to ameliorate these challenges. In releasing the advisory, he advocated for “a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents” and suggested “policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers.” Tying this public health concern to his own parenting experience, Murthy expressed in an opinion piece for The New York Times that “as fulfilling as parenting has been, the truth is it has also been more stressful than any job I’ve had.”
Recognition and Awards
Vivek Murthy's contributions to public health have been widely recognized. The American College of Physicians (ACP) awarded him the Joseph F. Boyle Award for Distinguished Public Service.
Key Initiatives and Stances
- Opioid Crisis: Murthy launched the TurnTheTide campaign, catalyzing a movement among health professionals to address the nation’s opioid crisis. He also issued the first Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, calling for expanded access to prevention and treatment and for recognizing addiction as a chronic illness.
- Climate Change: Murthy has spoken about the impact of climate change on public health.
- LGBTQ Rights: Murthy has spoken out against conversion therapy.
- Gun Violence: Murthy is known for declaring gun deaths and injuries a public health crisis.
- Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Murthy is urging Congress to mandate warning labels for youth on social media platforms.
- Loneliness Epidemic: Murthy is drawing attention to the stresses of caring for children.
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