A pediatric surgeon with an international reputation, Dr.
Koop became Surgeon-in-Chief of Children’s’ Hospital of
Philadelphia in 1948 and served in that capacity until he
left academia in 1981.
Dr. C. Everett Koop is the founder of Shape Up America!
Born in Brooklyn, New York,
Dr. Koop graduated from Dartmouth College and received his
M.D. degree from Cornell Medical College. He received the
degree of Doctor of Science (Medicine) at the University of
Pennsylvania, where he was also named Professor of Pediatric
Surgery, School of Medicine in 1959 and Professor of
Pediatrics in 1971. He is presently a Professor of Surgery
at Dartmouth Medical School.
Dr. Koop was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Health, U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) in March 1981, and
sworn in as Surgeon General on November 17, 1981. As Surgeon
General, Dr. Koop oversaw the activities of the 6,000 member
PHS Commissioned Corps and 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 also became the
government’s chief spokesman on AIDS. After serving two
terms, Dr. Koop continues to educate the public about health
issues through his writings and electronic media, as Senior
Scholar of the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth.
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