Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Friday the appointment of Dr. Janet Nesheiwat, a family medicine physician and Fox News contributor, as the next Surgeon General, continuing his trend of nominating television personalities to key positions in his administration.
“Dr. Nesheiwat is a strong and consistent advocate in the field of preventive medicine and public health,” Trump said in a statement.
“She is committed to ensuring Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health care, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
Trump said she treated patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, cared for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes, and worked for Samaritan’s Purse, a disaster relief organization providing care in Morocco, Haiti and Poland.
Many Americans will know her as a Fox News contributor who discussed issues such as the smallpox strain, the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, or natural disaster relief. Trump has chosen a number of presidential appointments from Fox News programs, both in his first term from 2017 to 2021, and since he was re-elected on November 5.
Communication skills are important for the job role as a health educator, providing information on how to improve health and reduce the risk of disease.
The job title became part of American culture in 1965 when cigarette makers were required to place on packages a warning from the Surgeon General that smoking posed a health risk.
Former Surgeon General C. Everett Cobb, who held the position from 1982 to 1989, rose to prominence in seeking to break the stigma associated with talking about AIDS at a time when the president who appointed him, Ronald Reagan, was criticized for downplaying the epidemic.