David Satcher M.D., Ph.D.

1997 Solomon Carter Fuller Award Recipient

Lecture Title: Future Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health

Dr. Satcher graduated from Morehouse College in 1963 and earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. in cell biology from Case Western Reserve University in 1970, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. His residency and fellowship training took place at Strong Memorial Hospital, the University of Rochester, the UCLA School of Medicine, and Martin Luther King Jr. Harbor Hospital.

From 1982 to 1993, Dr. Satcher served as president of Meharry Medical College. He later held key positions, including Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Dr. Satcher made history as the first Surgeon General to simultaneously hold the positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health from February 1998 to January 2001 at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Notably, he was appointed as a four-star admiral in the PHSCC, a reflection of his dual office.

Dr. Satcher is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the American College of Physicians, and he is board-certified in preventive medicine. In 1997, he received the prestigious Solomon Carter Fuller Award.