Surgeon General to deliver 2024 Gillings School Commencement address

February 19, 2024

“Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight — one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled and more productive lives.”

— U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy

Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, was confirmed by the United States Senate in March 2021 to serve as the country’s 21st Surgeon General.

As the nation’s top doctor, Dr. Murthy helps to advance the health and well-being of all Americans and has worked to address critical public health challenges.

On May 11, at the 2024 Commencement celebration of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, Dr. Murthy will share insights gleaned from his efforts to lay the foundation for a healthier country by relying on the best scientific information available to provide clear and equitable guidance for the public.

To date, he has issued Surgeon General Advisories on the youth mental health crisis and social media’s impact on youth mental health, the epidemic of loneliness and isolation, and burnout in the health worker community.

Dr. Murthy also issued a Surgeon General’s Framework on mental health in the workplace, and he is the first Surgeon General to host a podcast — House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy — in which he invites guests and listeners to explore how we can all build more connected and meaningful lives.

As Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy also oversees more than 6,000 dedicated public health officers who support underserved and vulnerable populations.

Dr. Murthy previously was the 19th Surgeon General under President Obama. Raised in Miami, he received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management.