Just over a week ago, President Obama announced his nominee for surgeon general, Regina M. Benjamin of Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Benjamin not only has an impressive resume, she also has a remarkable record of providing quality health care, even to those who cannot afford it. According to news reports and Obama’s announcement, Benjamin understands selflessness and true caregiving, and she is a woman of fantastic accomplishments and distinction.
As both the founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic, Benjamin probably knows something about women breaking through barriers in STEM fields as well as business and executive-level posts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Xavier University in New Orleans and then went on to earn her medical degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Additionally, she earned her M.B.A. from Tulane University.
Benjamin was named one of the “Nation’s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under” by Time magazine. The nomination for surgeon general certainly confirms her ability to lead. Additionally, Benjamin was honored with the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 1998, and she was elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees in 1995. Not only was she the first person under 40 to join the board, but she was also the first African American woman to be elected.
Health, human rights, and access to care for all people, including the poor, have been Benjamin’s personal and professional passions. According to the New York Times article highlighting her nomination and achievements, Benjamin made house calls after her clinic was flooded as a result of Hurricane Georges in 1998. Hurricane Katrina destroyed her clinic, and she mortgaged her own home to rebuild it. The clinic was again destroyed — this time by fire — and Benjamin appealed to donors across the country to raise enough funds to rebuild. Nothing deters her from her mission of serving those in need.
Benjamin’s mother worked as a maid in Alabama, and when Benjamin went to college and medical school, the government helped pay for some of her studies. In exchange for the financial support, she agreed to spend a few years helping the poor after graduating. It’s been more than a few years, but she has not stopped.
Before the president recognized her accomplishments by nominating her to be surgeon general, Benjamin received the 2000 National Caring Award, an award inspired by the work of Mother Teresa. CBS This Morning has honored her as “Woman of the Year,” and she is a recent recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.
Benjamin’s credentials, experience, and passion has helped her break through gender, class, and racial barriers to become the president’s nominee for such a prestigious position. It will be exciting to see how she is received by Congress and the nation. I wonder if they will be as impressed with her as I am.
This post is by AAUW Communications Fellow Katherine Broendel.
