ANTONIA C. NOVELLO
Antonia C. Novello was sworn in as the 14th Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on March 9, 1990. The historic White House event marked two firsts: Dr. Novello became the first woman and the first Hispanic ever to hold the position.
As surgeon general, Dr. Novello advises the public on health matters such as smoking and health, AIDS, diet and nutrition, environmental health hazards, and the importance of immunization and disease prevention.
Dr. Novello was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. degree in 1965 and an M.D. degree in 1970. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honorary medical society. Dr. Novello served her pediatric internship and residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1970-1973), where she was selected Intern of the Year (1970). She completed her subspecialty training in pediatric nephrology also at the University of Michigan (1974) and at Georgetown University (1975). Dr. Novello was awarded a master’s in public health with a concentration in health services administration from Johns Hopkins University in 1982.
Dr. Novello entered the U.S. Public Health Service in 1978 after working in the private practice of pediatrics and nephrology. Until her appointment as Surgeon General, her Public Health career was spent at the National Institutes of Health where she served in various capacities, rising to deputy director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with responsibility for the coordination of pediatric AIDS research. In addition, she co-chaired the NIH Advisory Committee on Women’s Health Issues.
While at NIH, Dr. Novello also gained experience on Capitol Hill as she was detailed to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. In her position, she made major contributions to the drafting and enactment of the Organ Procurement Transplantation Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-507) and was successful in drafting warning labels concerning the health risks of cigarette smoking.
Dr. Novello, a board-certified pediatrician, is clinical professor of pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She is the author or co-author of over 75 scientific articles and chapters pertaining to pediatrics, nephrology and public health policy. Administrator, researcher, lecturer, and author, Dr. Antonia Novello is first and foremost a physician whose motto as the nation’s surgeon general is: “good science and good sense.” She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Public Health Service Outstanding Service Medal and the Achievement Award of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women.
Sources
Maryland Women’s History: A Patchwork of Many Lives, produced by Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland Commission for Women