WASHINGTON : Indian-American Confirmed As Director Of US National Drug Control Policy

WASHINGTON: Dr Rahul Gupta, a veteran Indian-American primary care physician, has been confirmed by the US Senate as the Director of National Drug Control Policy, making him the first medical doctor to ever lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Dr
Gupta, who recently served as clinical Professor in the Department of
Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, was confirmed
for the position by the US Senate.

“As
a practicing physician and former health official who has served in
rural communities, I have seen firsthand the heartbreaking toll of
addiction and overdose in our communities, but I have also seen how
we can save lives if we understand the individuals behind the
statistics and meet them where they are,” said Dr Gupta in a
statement issued by the White House on Friday.

He
said he would work diligently to advance high-quality, strategies to
make communities healthier.

“President
Biden has made clear that addressing addiction and the overdose
epidemic is an urgent priority. As Director, I will diligently work
to advance high-quality, data-driven strategies to make our
communities healthier and safer,” he said.

He
most recently served as the Chief Medical and Health Officer, Interim
Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President at March of Dimes, a
US nonprofit organisation that works to improve the health of mothers
and babies.

In
his role, Dr Gupta provided strategic oversight for March of Dimes’
domestic and global medical and public health efforts.

He
recently served as clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine
at Georgetown University School of Medicine as well as adjunct
professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and
Leadership in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University
and visiting faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,
the White House said.

A
practicing primary care physician of 25 years, Dr. Gupta began his
career in private practice in an underserved community of fewer than
2,000 residents. He has since served under two Governors as the
Health Commissioner of West Virginia.

As
the state’s Chief Health Officer, he led the opioid crisis response
efforts and launched a number of pioneering public health
initiatives, including the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore
program to identify high-risk infants.

Dr.
Gupta also led the development of the state’s Zika action plan and
its preparedness efforts during the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak, it
said.

A
national and global thought leader and a driver of innovative public
policies on health issues, Dr. Gupta serves as an advisor to several
organisations and task forces on local, national and international
public health policy.

The
son of an Indian diplomat, Dr Rahul was born in India and grew up in
the suburbs of Washington, DC At age 21, he completed medical school
at the University of Delhi, the White House said.

He
earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of
Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration
degree from the London School of Business and Finance.

He
is married to Dr. Seema Gupta, a physician in the Veterans
Administration for over a decade. They are the proud parents of
identical twin sons, Arka and Drew, the White House said.