Satcher, David (1941-…), an American physician, served as the 16th surgeon general of the United States, from 1998 to 2002. He was appointed to the position by President Bill Clinton. Satcher was the first African American man to serve as surgeon general. Clinton also appointed Satcher as an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services.
As surgeon general, Satcher focused on preventive medicine, which involves promoting a healthy lifestyle to prevent illness. He recommended exercise, proper nutrition, and avoiding cigarette smoking to maintain good health. He emphasized the importance of prenatal care and childhood immunizations to give children a healthy start in life.
Satcher also called attention to the lack of treatment available for many people with mental illness. He pointed out that difficulty in paying for care prevented millions of Americans from seeking treatment for mental illness. He called for mental health care to receive the same priority as physical health care. Satcher also worked to eliminate racial inequalities in health care and to improve health care education among minorities.
Satcher was born in Anniston, Alabama. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1963. He earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1970. After holding teaching and administrative positions at several medical institutions, Satcher became president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1982. From 1994 to 1998, Satcher directed the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
