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US Surgeon General Wants to Focus on Prevention

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Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, who took office as US Surgeon General in December and has a ceremonial swearing-in Thursday, says he hopes to reduce chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease by promoting physical activity.

As a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, treated many patients disabled by chronic illness. People who struggled for breath after a lifetime of smoking, who developed serious infections related to their diabetes, or who overdosed on drugs because of untreated addiction.

"What struck me was that, time after time, much of what I was seeing was preventable," says Dr Murthy, the US Surgeon General. "This is the great tragedy of the health of our nation right now."

As the "nation's doctor," Dr Murthy, 37, now has the chance to try to keep patients like those out of the hospital on a grand scale. Dr Murthy, who took office in December and has a ceremonial swearing-in Thursday, says he hopes to reduce chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease by promoting physical activity.

Read more at USA Today: http://usat.ly/1EvAaLj

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