Regina Benjamin, confirmed as Surgeon General, plans to make prevention a priority

WASHINGTON -- At the White House news conference marking her selection as U.S. surgeon general some 3½ months ago, Dr. Regina Benjamin offered a poignant recital of close relatives lost to lung cancer, diabetes and other illnesses that have a strong lifestyle link.

"My family is not here with me today, at least not in person, because of preventable diseases," Benjamin said on the White House lawn as President Barack Obama looked on.

Now that Benjamin, acclaimed founder of a Bayou La Batre health clinic, actually has the job, it should come as no surprise that prevention and public health are at the top of her to-do list.

"I look at it as taking on the nation as my patients," she said Thursday evening, shortly after winning unanimous confirmation from the U.S. Senate.

Officially described as the nation's "chief health educator," the surgeon general has little formal power, but can wield a powerful megaphone.

In 1964, Dr. Luther Terry, another Alabama native, rocked the country with a report detailing the risks of smoking. In the 1980s, Dr. C. Everett Koop became a galvanizing figure in the campaign against AIDS.
http://blog.al.com/live/2009/11/regina_benjamin_confirmed_as_s.html

I think she'll do a great job in this position. My favorite quote: "I look at it as taking on the nation as my patients,"