Office of the Surgeon General

Surgeon General of the United States
Seal of the United States Public Health Service, 1798
Flag of the United States Surgeon General
Incumbent Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy since December 18, 2014
Public Health Service Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps
Reports to	United States Assistant Secretary for Health
Seat	Hubert H. Humphrey Building, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with United States Senate advice and consent
Term length	4 years
Formation	March 29, 1871
First holder	John M. Woodworth (as Supervising Surgeon)
Deputy	Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Website	www.SurgeonGeneral.gov

The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. The Surgeon General's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG).

The U.S. Surgeon General is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The Surgeon General serves a four-year term of office and, depending on whether or not the current Assistant Secretary for Health is a PHSCC commissioned officer, is either the senior or next most senior uniformed officer of the PHSCC, holding the rank of a vice admiral. The current Surgeon General is Vivek Murthy, who was confirmed on December 15, 2014.

The Surgeon General reports to the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), who may be a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), and who serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on public health and scientific issues. The Surgeon General is the overall head of the Commissioned Corps, a 6,500-member cadre of health professionals who are on call 24 hours a day, and can be dispatched by the Secretary of HHS or the Assistant Secretary for Health in the event of a public health emergency.