Richard Carmona

Richard Henry Carmona (born November 22, 1949) is an American physician, nurse, police officer, public health administrator, and politician.

He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the seventeenth Surgeon General of the United States.

After dropping out of DeWitt Clinton High School at age 16, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967.

While enlisted, he received his General Educational Development (GED), joined the United States Army Special Forces, became a combat-decorated Vietnam War veteran, and began his career in medicine as a Special Forces Medic.

For injuries he sustained in Vietnam, Carmona received two Purple Hearts.

After leaving active duty, Carmona attended the Bronx Community College of the City University of New York, where he earned his associate of arts degree in nursing.

In 1977, he graduated from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry; in 1979, he received his medical degree from UCSF, where he was awarded the gold-headed cane as the top graduate.

Carmona worked for the Pima County Sheriff's Department since 1986, eventually working his way up to deputy sheriff.

He served as medical director of the county's police and fire departments.

He was a peace officer leader of the SWAT division, with expertise in special operations and emergency preparedness, including weapons of mass destruction.

In 1997, the Pima County system, which was in financial trouble before he was appointed, continued to lose millions of dollars and he resigned.

Carmona was not in control of the assets of the system but was held responsible for them.

Carmona is also a professor of medicine at the University of Arizona.

In 1998, he earned a Master's degree in Public Health (M.P.H.) from the University of Arizona.

Carmona worked in various positions in the medical field including paramedic, registered nurse, and physician.

He completed a surgical residency at UCSF and a National Institutes of Health-sponsored fellowship in trauma, burns, and critical care.

Carmona is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and certified in correctional health care and in quality assurance.

Carmona has been Chairman of the Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, Chief Medical Officer, hospital CEO, public health officer, and chief executive officer of the Pima County health care system.

In 1999, Carmona was off duty when he killed a motorist in a shootout at a Tucson intersection.

Accounts of the incident vary, but Carmona says he spotted a driver assaulting another driver after a car accident and pulled over to help.

Bystanders warned Carmona that the motorist was armed, and in the confrontation that ensued, which started by the motorist starting to place his gun down but quickly after grabs and shoots, grazing Carmona in the head, Carmona fired his weapon seven times, hitting the man three times and killing him.

In the police interview at the scene, Carmona told officials he did not try to administer first aid after shooting the victim.

Instead, he returned to his car to reload his weapon.

Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Carmona left office at the end of July 2006 upon the expiration of his term.

After leaving office, Carmona was highly critical of the Bush administration for suppressing scientific findings which conflicted with the administration's ideological agenda.

President Bush nominated Carmona to become the 17th Surgeon General of the United States in March 2002.

During the nomination process, Carmona was questioned about his management style and the amount of time it took him to become board-certified in his field.

Carmona described himself as an "agent of change" willing to question the status quo, but that he always treated "patients, staff, and co-workers with respect."

Senators on both sides of the aisle praised Carmona's qualifications and supported his nomination; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2002, by a vote of 98–0.

In August 2006, Carmona returned home to Tucson, Arizona.

In 2006, Carmona released a landmark Surgeon General's report on the health effects of secondhand smoke.

Carmona's report underlined the risks of secondhand smoke exposure, stating: "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard."

The report encouraged the adoption of indoor smoking bans and noted that such bans did not appear to have a harmful economic effect on bars and restaurants.

After leaving office, Carmona testified before Congress that the Bush administration had tried for years to "water down" his findings on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and had pressured him not to testify in the tobacco industry's racketeering trial.

In earlier testimony before the U.S. Congress, Carmona stated that he would not object to a ban on all tobacco products "if Congress chose to go that way."

The Bush administration distanced itself from this statement.

Carmona is currently vice chairman of the Canyon Ranch resort and spa company, president of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute, and a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

In November 2011, he announced he would seek the Democratic Party's nomination for United States Senate in the hopes of succeeding outgoing Republican Senator Jon Kyl, despite being registered as a political independent.

He narrowly lost to Republican challenger Congressman Jeff Flake.

Carmona was born in New York City, of Puerto Rican descent, and raised in Harlem.