Diverse Issues in Higher Education
by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Medical Writer , December 7, 2009
ATLANTA - The new U.S. Surgeon General on Thursday called for stepped-up efforts in increasing the number of minority physicians.
In what was one of her first speeches to a large crowd since she was sworn in Nov. 3, Dr. Regina Benjamin noted that the proportion of U.S. physicians who are minorities is only 6 percent --the same proportion as a century ago.
"There's something wrong with that," said Benjamin, speaking at a conference on health disparities at a hotel in downtown Atlanta.
The numbers come from a 2004 estimate of the percentage of U.S. physicians that are Black or Hispanic. Blacks and Hispanics account for roughly 28 percent of the U.S. population, according to 2008 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Full Story: http://diverseeducation.com/article/13248/surgeon-general-more-minority-doctors-needed.html
Showing posts with label Dr. Regina Benjamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Regina Benjamin. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Benjamin Confirmed as Surgeon General
The Afro
by Afro Staff
(October 31, 2009) - Dr. Regina Benjamin was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 29 as the next U.S. surgeon general, making the Black Alabama physician the nation’s top doctor.“She will be an integral part of our H1N1 response effort, and America can expect to see her very soon communicating important information about how to stay healthy and safe this flu season,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.According to The New York Times, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D-Nev.) on Oct. 29 complained that Republicans were holding the surgeon general confirmation over unrelated issues. A subsequent voice vote elevated Benjamin to the post.Benjamin has a long history of public service as a family physician. She received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, and was the first Black woman to head a state medical society. Benjamin became nationally known for her struggle to keep her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic on Alabama’s Gulf Coast open to serve approximately 4,000 residents there after the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and again by Hurricane Rita.Benjamin is the third African-American woman to be U.S. surgeon general. The first African-American woman to be appointed surgeon general was Vice Admiral M. Joycelyn Elders, who was confirmed by Congress in 1993. Elders was also the first African-American of either sex ever appointed to that position.
Full Story: http://www.afro.com/tabId/551/itemId/5123/Benjamin-Confirmed-as-Surgeon-General.aspx
by Afro Staff
(October 31, 2009) - Dr. Regina Benjamin was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 29 as the next U.S. surgeon general, making the Black Alabama physician the nation’s top doctor.“She will be an integral part of our H1N1 response effort, and America can expect to see her very soon communicating important information about how to stay healthy and safe this flu season,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.According to The New York Times, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D-Nev.) on Oct. 29 complained that Republicans were holding the surgeon general confirmation over unrelated issues. A subsequent voice vote elevated Benjamin to the post.Benjamin has a long history of public service as a family physician. She received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, and was the first Black woman to head a state medical society. Benjamin became nationally known for her struggle to keep her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic on Alabama’s Gulf Coast open to serve approximately 4,000 residents there after the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and again by Hurricane Rita.Benjamin is the third African-American woman to be U.S. surgeon general. The first African-American woman to be appointed surgeon general was Vice Admiral M. Joycelyn Elders, who was confirmed by Congress in 1993. Elders was also the first African-American of either sex ever appointed to that position.
Full Story: http://www.afro.com/tabId/551/itemId/5123/Benjamin-Confirmed-as-Surgeon-General.aspx
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