Vivek Murthy was sworn in Wednesday becoming the nation’s first Indian American and Asian American surgeon general.
Vox talked with him before the ceremony to learn his priorities.
Obesity ranks high on his list. He thinks this needs to be a community effort and will be soliciting the help of not only health professionals, but employers, faith-based organizations and other institutions.
“I want to make sure I’m working with employers to make physical activity a greater part of work culture — recognizing that this not only has benefits for the physical health of employees but also positive effects on emotional well-being and mental function,” he says.
Vivek will also be looking for help from these same institutions in the area of mental health.
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“Faith-based groups, employers, schools — have a massive impact on the health decisions people make every day. That’s why we have to engage these institutions in doing their part to improve health,” Vivek said.
You can read about Vivek’s rules for health and his concern about misinformation spread through the media in Vox .
