Regina Benjamin Regina Marcia Benjamin ( born October 26 , 1956 ) is an American physician and a former vice admiral in the U . S . Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States . Benjamin previously directed a nonprofit primary care medical clinic in Bayou La Batre , Alabama , and served on the Board of Trustees for the Morehouse School of Medicine . Early life and education . Benjamin was born in Mobile , Alabama on October 26 , 1956 . She graduated from Fairhope High School in Fairhope , Alabama , and then attended college at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans , where she was initiated into the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority . She is also a member of the second graduating class of Morehouse School of Medicine . She received her M . D . degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed her residency in family practice at the Medical Center of Central Georgia . About her experience as the first member of her family to attend medical school , she has stated " I had never seen a black doctor before I went to college . " After entering solo medical practice in Bayou La Batre , Alabama , Benjamin worked for several years in emergency rooms and nursing homes to financially support its mission . After receiving an MBA from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University , she converted her office to a rural health clinic . Career . Benjamin is a former associate dean for rural health at the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama , where she administered the Alabama AHEC program and previously directed its Telemedicine Program . She served as the president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama ( MASA ) in 2002 . In 1995 , she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association , making her both the first physician under age 40 and the first African - American woman to be elected . She also served on the Board of Trustees of Florida A & M University , appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush . From 2008 to 2009 , she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Federation of State Medical Boards , a national non - profit organization representing the 70 medical and osteopathic boards of the United States and its territories . Benjamin is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians . She was a Kellogg National Fellow and also a Rockefeller Next Generation Leader . She has served on boards and committees including the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured ; Catholic Health East ; Medical Association of the State of Alabama ; Alabama Board of Medical Examiners ; Alabama State Committee of Public Health ; Mobile County Medical Society ; Alabama Rural Health Association ; Leadership Alabama ; Mobile Area Red Cross ; Mercy Medical ; Mobile Chamber of Commerce ; United Way of Mobile ; Physicians for Human Rights ; and Deep South Girl Scout Council . She was appointed by the U . S . Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Committee and to the Council of Graduate Medical Education , and she is also a member of the " Step 3 Committee . " In Alabama , she formerly served as vice president of the Governor ' s Commission on Aging , and also formerly as a member of the Governor ' s Health Care Reform Task Force and the Governor ' s Task Force on Children ' s Health . She was a paid consultant for Burger King , contracted to provide nutritional advice on their offerings . Benjamin ' s clinic was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and in 2006 by a fire on New Year ' s Day , one day before the scheduled reopening . She made headlines when she rebuilt the clinic a second time . Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic . Benjamin is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre , Alabama , a small shrimping village along the Gulf Coast . Benjamin was the subject of a Reader ' s Digest article that chronicled her efforts to rebuild the clinic after Hurricane Katrina . Surgeon General of the United States . On July 13 , 2009 , President Barack Obama announced the choice of Benjamin for the position of Surgeon General of the United States and as a Medical Director in the regular corps of the Public Health Service . On October 7 , 2009 , Benjamin was unanimously approved by the United States Senate Committee on Health , Education , Labor , and Pensions . Benjamin was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on October 29 , 2009 . Benjamin accepted the President ' s nomination , and made clear her dissatisfaction with the current health care system , in terms of accessibility as well as cost . Also in accepting her nomination , Benjamin described her own hardships faced by disease and illness in her own family . She noted the deaths of her brother , who died of HIV , as well as her father , who died of high blood pressure and diabetes , and her mother who died of lung cancer , all of which , she implied , were " preventable diseases . " In January 2010 , Benjamin released her first document , entitled " The Surgeon General ’ s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation . " In it she highlighted the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans , and offered a blueprint for grassroots efforts to make changes that promote the health and wellness of families and communities . Her work in this area has continued . One innovative program encouraged women of color to exercise more and not skip the gym for fear of " messing up their hair " gave $ 5 , 000 to the winner of a healthy hair and fitness competition . This was detailed in an NPR interview . During the course of this interview several other programs were discussed , including the campaign against obesity , and the " Million Hearts " campaign to prevent one million heart attacks each year . In September , 2012 , Surgeon General Benjamin issued " The 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention , a report from the U . S . Surgeon General and the Action Alliance " . This report discussed 13 goals and 60 objectives for reducing suicides over the next 10 years . In 2001 , Surgeon General David Satcher launched the first National Strategy for Suicide Prevention . Benjamin resigned from the position of U . S . Surgeon General on July 16 , 2013 . Criticism . Her political support for abortion access had been cited as a source of controversy , since Benjamin is a Roman Catholic and the Catholic Church opposes such access . However , she has also received an award from Pope Benedict XVI . Benjamin also sits on the board of the Catholic Health Association and is active in her local church . Benjamin served on the board of trustees of the Catholic Health Association . She was endorsed by Lloyd Dean , the president of Catholic Healthcare West , the largest hospital system in California , who issued a statement saying he was " delighted " by her nomination . During her confirmation process , critics also sought to make Benjamin ' s personal weight a source of controversy . " New York Times " food columnist Mark Bittman said that Benjamin , " like most of her predecessors " , avoided controversy , and avoided criticizing industry . The 2010 report , he said , blames " the victims " for eating too much and not getting enough exercise , while ignoring the marketing of junk food , and the scientific evidence for the contribution of sugar - sweetened food to obesity . Awards . In 1998 , she was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights . Benjamin was named by " TIME " magazine as one of the " Nation ' s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under . " She was featured in a " New York Times " article , " Angel in a White Coat , " and was chosen " Person of the Week " by ABC ' s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings , " Woman of the Year " by CBS This Morning , and " Woman of the Year " by People Magazine . She was also featured on the December 1999 cover of " Clarity Magazine " and received the 2000 National Caring Award , which was inspired by Mother Teresa . In 2006 , she was awarded the papal cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI . In 2008 , Benjamin was named one of America ' s Best Leaders by U . S . News & World Report . In September 2008 , she was one of that year ' s class of 25 in the MacArthur Fellows Program , nicknamed the " Genius Awards , " receiving a grant from the John D . and Catherine T . MacArthur Foundation that would have been worth $ 500 , 000 over the course of five years . However , as a federal employee , she had to stop accepting the MacArthur Fellows stipend when she accepted the position as Surgeon General . In 2009 , she received the American Medical Association Foundation Leadership Award . In 2010 , she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Dartmouth College at its Commencement ceremony . On May 8 , 2010 , she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctorate of Pharmacy from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the college ' s 130th Commencement ceremony held at the Empire State Plaza in Albany , New York . On May 28 , 2011 , she received an honorary degree of Doctorate of Humane Letters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , after which she delivered the address for the school ' s 205th commencement . On May 18 , 2012 , she received an honorary degree of Doctorate of Science from the University of Rochester Medical Center ' s School of Medicine and Dentistry . She also delivered the commencement address .