AAHOA Applauds Historic Confirmation of Dr. Vivek Murthy as U.S. Surgeon General

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) applauds the U.S. Senate confirmation of Dr. Vivek Murthy to the office of U.S. Surgeon General in the final week of the 113th Congress.

This confirmation is also momentous as Dr. Murthy is now the youngest -- and the first Indian American -- to hold the position in U.S. history.

"This is an historic day for the United States and for the Indian American community," said AAHOA Chairman Pratik Patel. "Dr. Murthy is a product of the American Dream and he is a distinguished leader in the medical community. We look forward to his leadership and continued efforts to improve public health."

Dr. Murthy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College, as well as a MD and MBA from Yale University. He most recently served as a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., as well as an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Murthy is also the co-founder of Visions Worldwide, a non-profit organization that sends American students to India to train students, nurses and medical professionals in AIDS-prevention.

Dr. Murthy succeeds current acting U.S. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak and is expected to be sworn in as the nation's 19th surgeon general in January 2015.

Founded in 1989, AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world, with nearly 14,000 small business owner-members. AAHOA members own more than 20,000 properties amounting to more than 40 percent of all hotels in the United States and employ nearly 600,000 workers, accounting for over $9.4 billion in payroll annually.