ATLANTA — The new U.S. surgeon general on Thursday called for stepped-up efforts in increasing the number of minority physicians.
In one of her first speeches to a large crowd since being sworn in Nov. 3, Dr. Regina Benjamin noted that the proportion of U.S. physicians who are black or Latino is only 6 percent — the same as a century ago. “There’s something wrong with that,” said Benjamin, speaking at a conference on health disparities.
In a 27-minute speech, Benjamin told health leaders in the audience to encourage young minorities to pursue careers in medicine or other ambitions.
Benjamin, 53, is widely respected for being the founder and savior of a rural clinic in Bayou la Batre, Ala., that was wiped out three times by fire and hurricanes. She also was the first black woman to head a state medical society.
Though a native of Daphne, Ala., she has strong ties to Georgia. She attended Atlanta’s Morehouse School of Medicine and completed her residency in family medicine at the Medical Center of Central Georgia. She is a member of Morehouse’s Board of Trustees and counts Dr. David Satcher, a Morehouse administrator and former surgeon general, as a mentor.
Benjamin has not said what her priorities will be during her four-year term. Some health policy experts have predicted she might become a leading voice on national health care reform.
