Regina Benjamin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Regina Benjamin
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| 18th Surgeon General of the United States | |
| In office November 3, 2009 – July 16, 2013 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Donald Weaver (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Boris Lushniak (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26, 1956 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Awards | USPHS Regular Corps Ribbon |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Public Health Service |
| Service years | 2009–2013 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Unit | USPHS Commissioned Corps |
Regina Marcia Benjamin (born October 26, 1956) is an American doctor. She was a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. She served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. Before this, Dr. Benjamin ran a special medical clinic. This clinic helped people in a small town called Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
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Early Life and Education
Regina Benjamin was born in Mobile, Alabama, on October 26, 1956. She went to Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Alabama. After high school, she attended Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans.
Becoming a Doctor
Dr. Benjamin was among the first students to graduate from the Morehouse School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She then finished her training in family medicine. She once said, "I had never seen a black doctor before I went to college."
After medical school, she opened her own clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. To help her clinic succeed, she worked extra jobs. She worked in emergency rooms and nursing homes. Later, she earned a business degree (MBA) from Tulane University. This helped her turn her office into a rural health clinic.
Dr. Benjamin's Career
Dr. Benjamin has held many important roles in medicine. She was a leader at the University of South Alabama. There, she helped with programs for rural health. She also led a program that used technology to provide medical care from a distance. This is called Telemedicine.
Leading Medical Organizations
In 2002, she became the president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. In 1995, she made history. She was the first doctor under 40 to be elected to the board of the American Medical Association. She was also the first African-American woman to join this board.
Dr. Benjamin also served on other important boards. She was on the Board of Trustees for Florida A & M University. From 2008 to 2009, she led the Federation of State Medical Boards. This group represents medical boards across the U.S.
Helping Her Community
Dr. Benjamin founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic. This clinic is in a small fishing town in Alabama. The clinic faced big challenges. It was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then, it was destroyed again by a fire in 2006. Dr. Benjamin worked hard to rebuild the clinic a second time. Her efforts to rebuild the clinic made news.
Surgeon General of the United States
On July 13, 2009, President Barack Obama chose Dr. Benjamin for a very important job. She was nominated to be the Surgeon General of the United States. This role is like the nation's top doctor. She would also be a Medical Director in the Public Health Service.
Confirmation and Goals
The United States Senate approved her nomination. They voted for her unanimously on October 29, 2009. When she accepted the job, Dr. Benjamin spoke about her family's health struggles. She mentioned her brother, who died of HIV. Her father died from high blood pressure and diabetes. Her mother died from lung cancer. She believed these were "preventable diseases."
As Surgeon General, Dr. Benjamin wanted to improve health care. She focused on making health care easier to get and more affordable.
Key Health Initiatives
In January 2010, Dr. Benjamin shared her plan for a healthier nation. It was called "The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation." She talked about the growing problem of overweight and obese Americans. She suggested ways for families and communities to become healthier.
Her work included programs to encourage exercise. One program helped women of color stay active without worrying about their hair. She also worked on a campaign against obesity. Another big project was the "Million Hearts" campaign. This aimed to prevent one million heart attacks each year.
In September 2012, she released a report on suicide prevention. It was called "The 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention." Dr. Benjamin left her role as U.S. Surgeon General on July 16, 2013.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Benjamin has received many awards for her work. In 1998, she won the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.
TIME magazine named her one of the "Nation's 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under." She was also featured in a New York Times article called "Angel in a White Coat." ABC's World News Tonight chose her as "Person of the Week." CBS's The Early Show and People Magazine named her "Woman of the Year."
In 2006, she received a special award from Pope Benedict XVI. It is called the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.
In 2008, U.S. News & World Report named her one of America's Best Leaders. She also received a "Genius Award" from the MacArthur Fellows Program. This award came with a grant of $500,000. However, she could not accept the money once she became Surgeon General.
In 2009, she received the American Medical Association Foundation Leadership Award. She has also received several honorary degrees from universities. These include Dartmouth College, Tulane University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Images for kids
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Badge of the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
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Surgeon General of the United States Badge
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Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon
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Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award
