OBAMA ADMIN: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta tapped for surgeon general

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March 5, 2009: Dr. Sanjay Gupta pulls out. See SAJAforum coverage.

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UPDATE: CNN's statement:

"Since first learning that Dr. Gupta was under consideration for the surgeon general position, CNN has made sure that his on-air reporting has been on health and wellness matters and not on health-care policy or any matters involving the new administration."

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Story broken by Howard Kurtz at 2:36 pm in the Washington Post:

CNN's Gupta Tapped for U.S. Surgeon General
President-elect Obama has offered position heading up public health policy to correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is expected to accept.

Howard Kurtz | 2:36 p.m. ET

We are updating this as we learn more. Please post your comments, links, etc, below.

NOTE: Several of you have wrote into ask about this line, which is in the NYT and WP pieces:

The Michigan-born son of Indian and Pakistani parents, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. - WP

Mr. Gupta, a 39-year-old son of Indian and Pakistani parents, grew up in Michigan. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. - NYT

UPDATE: His parents, Subhash Gupta and Damyanti Gupta are Indian immigrants. A friend says: "So I did learn something as a student at Columbia: When in doubt go to the source. I called Damyanti Gupta and she said Sanjay Gupta is 100 percent Indian, no Pakistani." (Please note we are only trying to make sure the information put out by the media was accurate - which country his parents are actually from has no relevance to his work, of course).

More on Dr. Gupta: CNN bio | Wikipedia

PREZ RACE: Dr. Sanjay Gupta's look at who is "Fit to Lead" - a show about the medical histories of the presidents (and features several White House physicians - a different job than this)

More on the role of the Surgeon General at SurgeonGeneral.gov

SAJAforum coverage of Sanjay Gupta:

• Listen to SAJA webcast with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Ali Velshi of CNN, Priya David, Hari Sreenivasan of CBS, Roop Raj of WDSU-TV talk about covering hurricanes
  
  
• From BlogTalkRadio's blog:
  While chatting with SAJA host Sree Sreenivasan in September about covering Hurricane Gustav, Dr. Gupta dismissed the notion that such assignments are glamorous.
  
  “During Hurricane Katrina, I slept in a building that was on lockdown, that had no air-conditioning, no power – in the August New Orleans heat,” he said.
  
  “For several days, I slept in my car . . . There’s nothing open. There’s no stores, no restaurants.  You can’t get food.  You can’t wash your clothes. The things you take for granted are all of a sudden all gone.”
  
  
• BOOKS: Sanjay Gupta is "Chasing Life"
  
  
• TV: Michael Moore goes after Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Comments

[Harish Rao]

This is great news, congratulations to Dr. Sanjay Gupta

[Arun]

Splashy!

But there's a mistake in Kurtz's article: "His appointment would give the administration a prominent official of Southwest Asian descent and a skilled television spokesman."

Kurtz has wrongly applied the label "Southwest Asian." Neither India nor Pakistan (where Gupta's parents are from) fit the category:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Southwest_Asian_countries

I wonder... if Gupta goes to the White House, wouldn't CNN feel bound to pick another desi as their medical correspondent?? Perhaps Drs. Abraham Verghese, Sandeep Jauhar and Atul Gawande should compete for the post via a reality show.

[Siddhartha]

I love Arun's idea for the replacement -- America's Next Top Desi Doctor!

[Mira Kamdar]

A desi to this top post who is also oh-so cute and eminently mediagenic? I'm all for this appointment!

[John]

Is this role so important? does anyone know the current surent general !

[Atul]

Sanjay Gupta's parents, Subhash Gupta and Damyanti/Rani Gupta are from India and not Pakistan per wikipedia and other sources

[Adi Narayan]

With Sanjay Gupta gone, I wonder who is going to provide the authoritative voice on health issues for CNN's Planet in Peril series. Are any members of their science desk who were recently fired likely to get back their jobs.

[Rajen Anand]

The news brings a great deal of pride amongst the India American Community. Sanjay Gupta has become an icon of health issues on the television. At such a young age, he is very knowlegeable about medicine, charismatic on TV and articulate in his prouncement of good health. He will perhaps be the youngest Surgeon General in the history of the United States and will prove to be the most effective spokesman of the Obama Administration on healthcare in the country.

We are indeed delighted by his nomination of Surgeon General.

Rajen Anand

[Madhumita Datta]

Is Sanjay's Father a Bengali? I am curious.

[Ellen S]

Is Sanjay Gupta a desi if he was born in the USA and has lived here all his life? Many people I know who were born here of South Asian (not southeast or southwest...................) parents are more non-desi than desi.

Does Wikipedia have his name right? Is it गुप्त or is it गुप्ता ?

His appointment is a feather in the cap of all who have South Asian connections, whether they are desi or not. He is articulate, knowledgeable, and doesn't beat around the bush. He is also younger than most SGs we've ever seen before.

Whoever asked: the present SG is Steven Galson.

[Greg]

Doesn't this prove that despite the pretense the news media is connected to Leftist Politicians.

Watch out for the Liberal Media Governmental Complex!

[ashishdimri]

Prof Sree,
This is what they hail as reporting! Immigrants and person of Pakistani origin are tow different things !
Such a factual inaccuracy reallycreates a bad impression about the news writer.
Lets hope,he will cautious another time!
All the best to new surgeon general!
warm regards,
yours,
ashish

[Ivan Dominguez]

This is awesome news. We need someone in that role with his smarts and ability to effectively communicate with the people.

[Rupa]

Who Wants to be Dr. Sanjay Gupta?
http://blogs.newamericamedia.org/sandip-roy/1539/who-wants-to-be-dr-sanjay-gupta

NAM editor Sandip Roy's commentary on how the position is a "mixed blessing for the rest of us much more run-of-the-mill South Asians."

[Payday Loans]

The fact that Mr. Obama trusted Mr. Sanjay Gupta would be a proof that he can do his job as a Surgeon General. The doctor is likely to make a decision about taking the job within a few days. Dr. Gupta is nothing short of a medical prodigy – the guy served as the chief medical correspondent for CNN for almost a decade, he has published acclaimed research highlighting new surgical techniques for incredibly sensitive operations, and he even participated in surgery on head trauma victims on the front lines in Iraq while he was covering a US Marines medical unit. Dr. Gupta has an impressive background of education and research accomplishments. He received a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Roorkee, today known as Indian Institute of Technology, in 1988. He received a Gold Medal for both securing the first rank in his B.E. class and for the best Engineering Design Project. A year later, he received a Master of Technology (M. Tech.) in Production Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. In 1994, Dr. Gupta received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park. The man has won many honors and awards for his research accomplishments, which includes a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2001. Now add becoming the nation’s Surgeon General.

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