Surgeon general steps down

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin recently announced she will step down from her position in July.

Benjamin (pictured) was appointed surgeon general in July 2009 by President Obama, receiving unanimous confirmation by the Senate later that year, Healthcare IT News reported.

During her four years in the post, Benjamin emphasized disease prevention over treatment, cessation of smoking, and healthy lifestyles—particularly among minorities—while chairing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, created under the Affordable Care Act to develop a strategy to improve access to care.

“My goal was to create a grassroots movement, to change our health-care system from one focused on sickness and disease to a system focused on wellness and prevention. With your help, that movement has begun,” Benjamin wrote in an email to her staff, according to CNN.