[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9379]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING DR. VIVEK MURTHY FOR HIS INVALUABLE WORK AND DEDICATION AS THE 
                       19TH U.S. SURGEON GENERAL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2017

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the outstanding 
service and accomplishments of Dr. Vivek Murthy, who served as Surgeon 
General from 2014 to 2017. His dedication to protecting the public 
health of our nation is an inspiration for us all. The lives of 
millions of Americans across the country are better because of his 
public service. Throughout his career, Dr. Murthy has served with 
humility and passion, and I want to recognize his lifelong advocacy for 
all Americans.
  Dr. Vivek Murthy's social entrepreneurship started as a freshman at 
Harvard University, when he co-founded the non-profit VISIONS Worldwide 
to educate people on HIV/AIDS issues in the U.S. and India. Upon 
graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in 1997, he formed Swasthya 
Community Health Partnership with the mission to train women to provide 
health care in rural areas in India.
  In 2003, Dr. Murthy graduated from Yale University receiving both an 
M.D. and an M.B.A. in Health Care Management. He completed his internal 
medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical 
School in 2006, where he continued to work as an attending physician 
and an instructor of medicine. In 2009, he co-founded Doctors for 
America (DFA), a coalition of physicians and medical students who have 
joined together to advocate for the improvement of our health care 
system. He served as president of DFA until his confirmation as U.S. 
Surgeon General in 2014.
  Becoming the first Surgeon General of Indian descent is truly a 
historic achievement. His department released the first Surgeon 
General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health; promoted prevention and 
treatment of opioid epidemic; started a national conversation on 
healthy eating habits and food insecurity; and emphasized the 
importance of vaccines. Under his leadership, his department assisted 
Americans during the Flint water crisis, hurricanes, and the Ebola and 
Zika outbreaks. I am proud to honor his extraordinary accomplishments 
as Surgeon General. His distinguished career is an example of what can 
be achieved through hard work, dedication, and service.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Dr. Vivek Murthy and honored to 
call him my friend. On behalf of California's 36th Congressional 
District, I congratulate him for his exceptional commitment to public 
service and look forward to the significant contributions he will 
continue to make in service of others. I wish him and his wife Alice 
all my best in the years to come.

                          ____________________