Who
is the honorable
C. Everett Koop, M.D.?
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Biographical/Historical
Note
Dr. C. Everett
Koop was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S.
Public Health Service (PHS) in February 1981, and sworn in as
Surgeon General on November 17, 1981. Additionally, he was appointed Director
of the Office of International Health in May 1982.
Before joining the PHS, Dr. Koop, a pediatric surgeon
with an international reputation, was Surgeon-in-Chief of Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Pediatric Surgery and
Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Koop was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October
14, 1916, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1937 and received
his M.D. degree from Cornell Medical College in 1941. After serving
an internship at the Pennsylvania Hospital, he pursued postgraduate
training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
Boston Children's Hospital and the Graduate School of Medicine,
University of Pennsylvania, from which he received the degree
of Doctor of Science (Medicine) in 1947. After promotions up the
academic ladder, he was named Professor of Pediatric Surgery,
School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in 1959 and Professor
of Pediatrics in 1971.
As Surgeon General, Dr. Koop advised the public on health matters
such as smoking and health, diet and nutrition, environmental
health hazards, and the importance of immunization and disease
prevention. He oversaw the activities of the 6,000 member PHS
Commissioned Corps. Specific responsibilities included serving
as an ex-officio member of the Board of Regents, National Library
of Medicine; Board of Regents, Uniformed Services University of
the Health Sciences; Board of Directors, Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology; and the Board of Governors, Gorgas Memorial Institute.
Dr. Koop has
been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including seventeen
honorary doctorates. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. He was awarded the Denis Brown Gold Medal by the British
Association of Paediatric Surgeons; the William E. Ladd Gold Medal
of the American Academy of Pediatrics in recognition of outstanding
contributions to the field of pediatric surgery; the Order of
Duarte, Sanchez, and Mella, the highest award of the Dominican
Republic, for his achievement in separating the conjoined Domician
twins; and a number of other awards from civic, religious, medical
and philanthropic organizations. He was awarded the Medal of the
Legion of Honor by France in 1980, inducted into the Royal College
of Surgeons of England in 1982, and the Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Glasgow. In May 1983, Dr. Koop was awarded the
Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal in recognition
of his extraordinary leadership of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Dr. Koop was a member of the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and other professional societies. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also held membership in many international organizations. He authored more than 200 articles and books on the practice of medicine.
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