Trump picks TV doctor Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon-general
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Many Americans know Dr Janette Nesheiwat as a Fox News contributor who has discussed issues such as the mpox strain and the effects of alcohol and drug use.
PHOTO: DR JANETTE NESHEIWAT/FACEBOOK
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WASHINGTON – US President-elect Donald Trump on Nov 22 chose family medicine doctor and Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat to be surgeon-general, again showing preference for a television personality as the face of the new administration.
“Dr Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” Trump said in a statement.
“She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.”
Dr Nesheiwat treated patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, tended to victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes, and has worked for disaster relief organisation Samaritan’s Purse, providing care in Morocco, Haiti and Poland, Trump said.
Many Americans know her as a Fox News contributor who has discussed issues such as the mpox strain, the effects of alcohol and drug use, and natural disaster relief.
As of Trump’s announcement, she is no longer a Fox News contributor, a spokesperson for the cable network said.
Trump has plucked a number of presidential appointments from Fox News programmes, both in his first term from 2017 to 2021 and since being elected again on Nov 5.
Communication skills are important to the job’s role as health educator, providing information on how to improve health and lower the risk of illness.
The job title became part of American culture in 1965, when cigarette makers were required to label packages with the surgeon-general’s warning that smoking was hazardous to health.
Former surgeon-general C. Everett Koop, who held the job from 1982 to 1989, gained prominence for seeking to break the stigma of speaking about Aids at a time when the president who appointed him, Mr Ronald Reagan, was criticised for underplaying the epidemic.
Dr Nesheiwat’s appointment will require Senate confirmation. REUTERS
