Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Deliver Keynote Address at Class Day

Vivek Murthy, a renowned physician, public health expert, research scientist, entrepreneur, and author who served as the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Columbia Mailman Class Day celebration on May 20. Murthy will also receive the Columbia Mailman School’s Visionary Leadership Award.

“During his service to our country, Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy was a leader in calling attention to critical, underappreciated health issues, including the epidemic of loneliness and the youth mental health crisis, among many other concerns, and organizing the evidence on solutions to be implemented that are important to Americans’ health and wellbeing. His leadership inspired us with his commitment to driving change across the public and private sectors,” said Dean Linda P. Fried. “As a School, we have responded to these challenges with our own cutting-edge research, teaching, academic programs, and our work at the community level and the world at large. Dr. Murthy is an exemplary model of public health leadership and service, and we are truly honored that he will join us as we celebrate our outstanding Class of 2025.”

"The need for thoughtful, creative leaders in public health is as great as it has ever been during my lifetime. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be with this year’s graduates as they embark on their journey to create a healthier, stronger world for all of us. Working in public health has been one of the great blessings of my life, and I wish them joy and fulfillment in the years to come," said Vice Admiral Murthy.

As Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,000 public health officers. 

Murthy’s work has widened the lens through which we understand forces that shape our health and well-being. During his two terms as Surgeon General, his initiatives shaped national and international conversations, garnered global media coverage, and compelled change across business and non-profit organizations. He has drawn attention to critical, underappreciated health issues, including the epidemic of loneliness, the impact of social media on youth mental health, parental mental health and well-being, the youth mental health crisis, and health worker burnout. 

In 2020, Murthy published the New York Times bestseller Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. His 2025 “Parting Prescription to America” laid out a vision for rebuilding community as the key to health, happiness, and fulfillment.   

Murthy graduated from Harvard College and received his MD from the Yale School of Medicine and his MBA from the Yale School of Management. He trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.