Opinion piece, editorial examine qualification of potential surgeon general nominee gupta

Two newspapers recently published an opinion piece and an editorial on the qualifications of Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent at CNN, whom President-elect Barack Obama reportedly seeks to nominate as the next U.S. surgeon general. Summaries appear below.

• Peter Canellos, Boston Globe: Gupta has "fine" credentials "for a young doctor, but not enough by themselves to make him a national leader in medicine, let alone leading the short list for surgeon general," Globe columnist Canellos writes. According to Canellos, Gupta is the "kind of doctor in whom anyone could confide a painful or embarrassing medical problem, trusting that he would be both sensitive and professional," and he can "skillfully toggle into a discussion of the asthma epidemic in inner cities, or how new education techniques are helping children with autism." However, the "problem -- as a small but growing chorus of critics points out -- is that the surgeon general isn't merely a communicator, but a policy maker who is supposed to be an independent voice on medical matters," and the "prospect of Gupta applying his CNN-honed skills as a spokesman in the service of Obama's agenda is a bit of a concern, especially in an administration top-heavy with politicians but relatively short, by historical standards, on senior figures with independent expertise," Canellos writes. Canellos concludes, "In choosing the young, charismatic and politically astute doctor," Obama is "hoping for a little star appeal to help push his medical agenda," but "Gupta, who is said to be weighing the job, would be wise to declare his independence from the Obama administration before announcing his preference for the job" (Canellos, Boston Globe, 1/13).
• USA Today: "Since word of the possible nomination" of Gupta "leaked last week, some have derided Gupta's credentials," but such "criticism is off-base," a USA Today editorial states. According to the editorial, critics have said that Gupta is not a commissioned public health officer and lacks experience in public health, but "few surgeons general since the 1960s have come from the public health corps." In addition, Gupta "has a demonstrated ability to connect with the public by breaking down some of the nation's most pressing health issues into simple, human terms" through his positions as associate chief of neurosurgery at an Atlanta hospital and chief medical correspondent at CNN, the editorial states. The editorial concludes, "Perhaps something will arise in the vetting process that disqualifies Gupta," but "his abilities as a communicator might be just what the doctor ordered to continue the battle against smoking and to help make America healthier" (USA Today, 1/14).