David Satcher

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Dr. David Satcher was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998 as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, serving a 4-year term.  He served simultaneously in the positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Satcher’s tenure as Surgeon General reflected his commitment to eliminating health disparities for minorities, poor people and other disadvantaged groups.  He also tackled issues that had not previously been addressed at the national level, including mental health, sexual health, and obesity.

His initial report on mental health, the first Surgeon General’s Report on this important health topic, asserts that mental illness is a critical public health problem that must be addressed by the nation. This report received an overwhelming response from policy makers, health professionals, community leaders and individuals.

Upon his departure from the post of Surgeon General, Dr. Satcher became a fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation and in the fall of 2002 he assumed the post of director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine. 

In 2006 Dr. Satcher established The Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at  Morehouse School of Medicine in 2006.  The mission of the SHLI is to develop a diverse group of public health leaders, foster and support leadership strategies, and influence policies toward the reduction and ultimate elimination of disparities in health.  Dr. Satcher decided to build SHLI based on leadership development for minorities as a new and critically necessary approach to addressing our national and global health crises.

Dr. Satcher graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1963 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1970.  He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the American College of Physicians.

Contact information:

The Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, Atlanta, GA 30310-1495; (404) 752-8654