The surgeon general's office may be getting its first celebrity leader since C. Everett Koop left office in the 1980s: CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta.
The cable TV network reported Tuesday that President-elect Barack Obama has approached Gupta, a neurosurgeon, about the job.
Obama's transition office had no comment. CNN said in a statement that it has made sure Gupta's on-air reporting has focused on "health and wellness matters" and not on health care policy since network officials learned he was under consideration for the post.
The possibility that Gupta, host of CNN's House Call and a contributor to CBS, will be selected for the post drew mixed reactions.
"Gupta is a superb communicator, he's got presence, he's energetic, and through his work, he's covered a broad range of public-health issues," said Georges Benjamin, director of the American Public Health Association.
The surgeon general commands the 6,000-member U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a cadre of scientists and emergency responders who tackle health emergencies ranging from hurricanes to bioterrorism.
Gerard Farrell, head of the service's Commissioned Officers Association, recently urged Obama to select a leader from the group's ranks. On Tuesday, he said members were "disappointed."
"Dr. Gupta is certainly a well-respected neurosurgeon and accomplished media journalist, but I'm not aware of any particular in-depth public health experience," he said.
The surgeon general typically does not shape government health policy. The office is viewed more as a bully pulpit for health issues.
Koop, who served under President Reagan, earned a reputation as a "celebrity surgeon general" for both his bearing -- he wore bow ties and the military-style uniform that goes with the job -- and his positions. He issued a report on tobacco use comparing it to heroin and cocaine addiction, and sent information on AIDS to every household in the country.
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