Regina Benjamin: A Force for Health and Social Justice

Early Life and Career

Regina Benjamin was born in Mobile, Alabama, on October 26, 1956. Her passion for medicine began at an early age when her grandfather, a sharecropper, suffered a stroke. His lack of access to healthcare inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.

Benjamin attended Xavier University of Louisiana and then the Morehouse School of Medicine. After completing her residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she returned to her hometown of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, to open a private practice.

Focus on Health Disparities

Benjamin's work in Bayou La Batre exposed her to the significant health disparities facing underserved communities. She began incorporating social services, such as nutrition counseling and housing assistance, into her practice to address the root causes of health issues.

Her innovative approach caught the attention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she served as an advisor on health disparities from 1991 to 2002. In this role, she developed guidelines for culturally competent healthcare and played a key role in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

Surgeon General of the United States

In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Benjamin as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. As Surgeon General, she focused on promoting preventive health and addressing health disparities. She established the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity within the Department of Health and Human Services and launched initiatives to combat tobacco use, obesity, and mental illness.

Continued Advocacy

After leaving the post of Surgeon General in 2013, Benjamin continued her advocacy work through her non-profit organization, the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic. She has also served as a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a commissioner on the President's Commission on the Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors.

Benjamin's unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of all Americans has earned her numerous awards and accolades. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Community Health Leader Award.