Biden renames Vivek Murthy as US Representative on WHO Board

President Joe Biden has reappointed Indian American Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to serve as Representative of the United States on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization.

The White House re-sent Murthy’s nomination as a representative to WHO as his confirmation has been pending in the Senate since October 2022. He will continue his duties as Surgeon General.

The first Surgeon General of Indian descent, Vivek Hallegere Murthy, was confirmed by the US Senate in March 2021 to serve as the 21st Surgeon General under Biden. He previously served as the 19th Surgeon General under President Barack Obama.

As the Nation’s Doctor, the Surgeon General’s mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country, relying on the best scientific information available to provide clear, consistent, and equitable guidance and resources for the public, the White House noted.

As Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy is focused on drawing attention to and working across government to address a number of critical public health issues, including the growing proliferation of health misinformation, the ongoing youth mental health crisis, well-being and burnout in the health worker community, and social isolation and loneliness, it said.

Biden naming Vivek Murthy as US Representative on WHO board (October 5, 2022)

As the Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy also commands a uniformed service of over 6,000 dedicated public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations.

Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire to immigrants from Karnataka, India, Dr. Murthy is the grandson of the late H.C. Narayana Murthy, the former director of Mysore Sugar Company, and son of Florida-based H.N. Lakshminarasimha Murthy and Maithreya Murthy.

In 1978, the family crossed the Atlantic to Newfoundland, where his father worked as a district medical officer. When he was three years old, the family relocated to Miami, and his parents established their medical practice.

Senate confirms Vivek Murthy for second stint as US Surgeon General (March 23, 2021)

Dr. Murthy is a graduate of Harvard, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Management. A renowned physician, research scientist, entrepreneur, and author, he lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Dr. Alice Chen, and their two children.