By Jonathan Tamayo
Missing Call Letters
Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, may be headed to the White House. According to sources close to the situation, President-elect Obama has asked the journalist to be his Surgeon General. CNN’s Jack Cafferty calls it, “the best appointment he’s made so far.”
This is great news for Gupta, but disappointing to fans like me who have depended on his health coverage for years. Gupta is expected to take the job, and the vetting prcoess has already begun.
Gupta is taking a few days to work out the logistical details of making the move from Atlanta to Washington. His only hesitation is the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his well-paid TV medical journalist career. When asked about the appointment, he didn’t deny the offer but declined to comment.
This all started back in November when Obama said Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and could offer good counsel on health policy. Gupta has already met with Obama’s health czar Tom Daschle and the nominee for health and Human Services secretary.
