Antonia Novello Biography

Dr. Antonia Novello grew raised in the tiny town of Farjardo, Puerto Rico, and never imagined she would go beyond its limits. She had a medical problem as a kid that could only be remedied with surgery, but her family's modest finances could not cover the fees. The problem was ultimately cured after two operations, at the ages of 18 and 20. This life-altering incident influenced her decision to pursue a career as a doctor. Dr. Novello was appointed Surgeon General of the United States by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 as a result of his commitment and hard work. This appointment created history since she was the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold that position. Her appointment comes after over two decades of public service at the National Institutes of Health, where she was involved in the development of national legislation governing organ transplantation. Dr. Novello graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. in 1965 and an M.D. in 1970. She then earned her medical degree in nephrology, or the study of the kidneys, at the University of Michigan, where she was the first woman to be elected Intern of the Year. Dr. Novello worked in pediatrics in Michigan until 1974, and then joined the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in 1978, working with the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Disorders at the National Institutes of Health. She rose to the position of deputy director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, where she specialized in pediatric AIDS. Dr. Novello continued to work in pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital, earning a Master's degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1982 and a Doctor of Public Health in May 2000. She assisted in the drafting of the Organ Transplantation Procurement Act of 1984 while working for the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. The Surgeon General may more successfully exhort and educate the public about prevalent health concerns due to the reputation and power of this post. Dr. Novello's priorities as Surgeon General were smoking, AIDS, particularly among women and adolescents, food and nutrition, environmental health risks, and the need of immunization and disease prevention. One of her most public and powerful efforts was against tobacco industry advertising directed at children, which was particularly noticeable in posters and billboard commercials featuring the cartoon character Joe Camel. Furthermore, Dr. Novello warned the public about the growing prevalence of AIDS among women and adolescents. While she counseled against promiscuity and drug use in her AIDS report in 1993, she also gave advice on how to use condoms and clean intravenous needles. During the Gulf War, Dr. Novello accelerated the clearance of vaccinations for military troops by the Federal Drug Administration, for which she was subsequently given the Legion of Merit, a military decoration, by General Colin Powell. Dr. Novello was a Special Representative to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) after serving as Surgeon General, where she expanded her work to address the health and nutritional needs of women, children, and adolescents on a worldwide scale. She was a visiting professor of health policy and administration at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health from 1996 to 1999, where she consulted on health services for low-income areas. Dr. Novello is currently the Executive Director of Public Health Policy at Florida Hospital, where she is responsible for advocating, translating, and implementing public health issues across the board, as well as directing and organizing a lecture series involving the nation's top medical professionals. The former Surgeon General can give her views about the present healthcare system due to her broad understanding of health, wellbeing, and fighting for what you believe in. She is certain to encourage listeners, regardless of their background, to pursue their ambitions.

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