What emerged was a portrait of a doctor who not only has the quantity of experience necessary but also the quality of experience. He is a lifelong advocate for reductions in health disparities, whose focus in the job will be on obesity, smoking, vaccinations and mental health -- pressing health concerns that often break down along racial and socioeconomic lines.

Not only will he be excellent at managing imminent public health crises, but he also promises to be a solutions-oriented, data-driven leader on some of this country's most intractable health problems.

As Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard University professor and founder of Partners in Health, has said: "Dr. Vivek Murthy has long experience in community-based care, in communicating complex messages in a straightforward and even-handed manner, and is committed not just to passing on information to others, but to learning from them, too."