Indian American neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta has been nominated for the job of surgeon general of US by President-elect Barack Obama. Report says that Sanjay Gupta is likely to accept the offer and asked for some time to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington. Obama decided Sanjay's name after a two-hour long Chicago meeting. According to Obama, the new surgeon general will have to perform expanded duties in providing health policy advice.

 

Sanjay Gupta was born in Michigan whose parents hail from India. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton. Currently Sanjay offers his service as a health affairs correspondent for CNN and CBS. Believed to be a skilled television spokesman, Sanjay's appointment will give Obama administration a prominent official of South Asian descent.

 

According to reports, the Indian American surgeon has discussed the matter of his new appointment with his bosses at CBS and CNN to make sure he could be released from his contractual obligations. Sanjay has been assigned with two-phased task during his medical and journalistic careers. In 2003 during the Iraq invasion, Sanjay was embedded with a navy unit called Devil Docs. While accomplishing his mission in Iraq, he performed five brain surgeries there.

 

Obama administration is reported to be very impressed with the past service records of the Indian American surgeon and hence considered his name for the post of US surgeon general. The member of the staff and faculty of the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Sanjay Gupta joined CNN in 2001 as chief medical correspondent for the health and medical unit. He is a lead reporter on breaking medical news and provides regular health and medical updates for “American Morning”.