Antonia Novello

Antonia Novello (born August 23, 1944) is a Puerto Rican physician and public health administrator. She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as fourteenth Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993. Novello is the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General.

Early life and education

Novello was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She was diagnosed with congenital megacolon, a painful condition that required three major operations to correct. Novello graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in 1965 and earned her medical degree at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in 1970. She completed her internship and residency in nephrology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.

Career

In 1979, Novello joined the Public Health Service and received a commission in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Her first assignment was as a project officer at the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). From 1990 to 1993, Novello served as Surgeon General of the United States, appointed by President George H. W. Bush. During her tenure as Surgeon General, Novello focused on the health of women, children and minorities, as well as on underage drinking, smoking, and AIDS. She played an important role in launching the Healthy Children Ready to Learn Initiative. She was actively involved in working with other organizations to promote immunization of children and childhood injury prevention efforts.

Later life and honors

After leaving the position of Surgeon General, Novello remained active in public health issues, with a focus on HIV/AIDS prevention. She has received multiple awards and honors, including the Legion of Merit, and she was named a Women's History Month Honoree in 1993.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans
• Public Health Service Commissioned Corps