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Christine C. Ferguson, JD Director, STOP Obesity Alliance Faculty Member The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services |
Christine C. Ferguson, JD is charged with coordinating the day to day activities of the STOP Obesity Alliance. In addition to this role, Ms. Ferguson is a member of the faculty at the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University.
Professionally and personally, Ms. Ferguson has fought the obesity battle and knows the stigma surrounding this medical condition firsthand. A varsity athlete in high school and at the University of Michigan, Ferguson grew up in a highly competitive environment with a tremendous emphasis on fitness and was in terrific shape before joining the work force. Then, she began to experience weight gain that averaged about 10 lbs a year and started to struggle with a wide variety of weight loss programs.
As she became 100 pounds overweight, she battled the conflict of needing to be a role model for healthy living yet being unable to reduce her own significant health risks and lose weight. Ultimately, this led Ms. Ferguson to have surgery where an adjustable silicone band was placed around her stomach to shrink it. She has successfully lost over 125 pounds and continues her downward path, reaping the benefits of improved health and fitness.
Ms. Ferguson's prior professional experiences have made her adept at evaluating, prioritizing and working to address significant public health issues. As Commissioner, Ms. Ferguson oversaw the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Care Finance and Policy. She led initiatives addressing public health emergencies, established a unique collaboration with the Executive Office of Public Safety, and implemented the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Errors Reduction. She was also a key member of a two-year effort to establish a new department for Early Education and Child Care.
From 1995 to 2001, Ms. Ferguson ran the Rhode Island Department of Human Services under Governor Lincoln Almond's two-term administration. She oversaw nearly one-third of the State's annual budget, providing critical programs for low-income families, children, senior citizens, veterans and the disabled. Prior to her service in Rhode Island, Ms. Ferguson served as counsel and deputy chief of staff to the late U.S. Senator John H. Chafee (R-RI), where she led many changes in national health care and social service programs and policies.
Ms. Ferguson is currently a member of the Board on Children, Youth and Families for the Institute of Medicine National Academies. She has served on the boards of the National Academy of State Health Policies and a variety of other national organizations.
Ms. Ferguson has been recognized as being one of the Most Influential Health Policymakers by Faulkner & Gray Healthcare, one of the nation's 100 most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal and one of the top 25 Most Influential Working Mothers by Working Mothers Magazine.
Ms. Ferguson holds a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from the Washington College of Law, The American University.
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Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS Health and Wellness Chairperson, STOP Obesity Alliance 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006) |
Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, serves as the Health and Wellness Chairperson for the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance Steering Committee. As Chairperson, he provides public health expertise and support to the Alliance's Steering Committee in their efforts to drive innovative and practical strategies that combat obesity in order to prevent obesity-related chronic diseases in America.
Dr. Carmona served as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States from 2002 to 2006. As Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona focused on prevention, preparedness, health disparities, health literacy, and global health to include health diplomacy. He also issued many landmark Surgeon General communications during his tenure, including the definitive Surgeon General's Report about the dangers of second-hand smoke.
After completing his four-year term as Surgeon General in 2006, Dr. Carmona was named to the position of vice chairman for Canyon Ranch, the country's leading health and wellness company for over 25 years. He also serves as chief executive officer of the company's Health Division and oversees health strategy and policy for all Canyon Ranch businesses. He is president of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute and the first Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
After dropping out of high school, Dr. Carmona enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. While serving, he earned his General Equivalency Diploma and went on to become a combat-decorated Special Forces Vietnam veteran. After leaving active duty, he attended Bronx Community College of the City University of New York through an open enrollment program for veterans. He received an associate of arts degree. He then attended the University of California, San Francisco, where he received a bachelor of science degree (1977) and medical degree (1979). At the University of California Medical School, Dr. Carmona was awarded the prestigious gold-headed cane as the top graduate.
Trained in general and vascular surgery, Dr. Carmona also completed a National Institutes of Health-sponsored fellowship in trauma, burns, and critical care. Dr. Carmona was then recruited jointly by the Tucson (Arizona) Medical Center and the University of Arizona to start and direct Arizona's first regional trauma care system. He went on to become the chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, a professor of surgery, public health and family and community medicine at the University of Arizona, and the Pima County Sheriff's Department surgeon and deputy sheriff. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Public health came as a second career after Dr. Carmona went back to graduate school while working in order to complete a master's degree in public health at the University of Arizona. His interest in public health stemmed from the realization that most of his patients' illnesses and injuries were completely preventable.
In 2002, Dr. Carmona was nominated by the president and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to become the 17th Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Carmona was selected because of his extensive experience in public health, clinical sciences, health care management, preparedness, and his commitment to prevention as an effective means to improve public health and reduce health care costs while improving the quality and quantity of life.
Dr. Carmona has published extensively and received numerous awards, decorations, and local and national recognition for his achievements. A strong supporter of community service, he has served on community and national boards and provided leadership to many diverse organizations.