David Satcher

Born in Alabama in 1941, David Satcher was appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1993, and in 1998 he was appointed surgeon general by President Bill Clinton. Satcher received many awards throughout his career, including the New York Academy of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award (1997) and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind (1999). In 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Satcher to be the 16th surgeon general of the United States. Satcher was confirmed as surgeon general—a job that involves steering the national policy for public health—in February 1998. He also became an assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, a position he would hold until January 2001. While serving as surgeon general, Satcher worked to improve access to health care and addressed health concerns such as obesity. He also identified suicide as a national health crisis. In 1999, Satcher issued a call to action, saying the country must "put into place national strategies to prevent the loss of life and the suffering suicide causes." After leaving his post as surgeon general, Satcher became the director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine. He stepped in to serve as the president of the medical school two years later. Seeking new challenges, Satcher created the Satcher Health Leadership Institute in 2006. The institute is part of the Morehouse School of Medicine. He serves as its director, overseeing programs on sexual health, disease prevention, mental health and the health needs of underserved communities.