The Forsyth Institute honors Dr. Satcher with Forsyth’s Icon Award for his commitment to eliminating health disparities for underserved groups at the annual “Discover Forsyth: A Taste & A Toast to Good Health” event
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 30, 2017 – The Forsyth Institute welcomes Dr. David Satcher, 16th Surgeon General of the U.S., to the institute on June 1, where he will be honored with the Forsyth Icon Award for his commitment to eliminating health disparities for underserved groups. Dr. Satcher will be given the award at the institute’s annual fundraiser, Discover Forsyth: A Taste & A Toast to Good Health, where he will also be speaking about his landmark report on the silent epidemic of tooth decay, as well as the profound oral health problems that remain today.
Dr. Satcher was sworn in as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States in 1998 under President Bill Clinton, a position he held until 2002. In 2000, he authored the first Surgeon General’s report on oral health to alert Americans to the importance of oral health and its influence on general health and well-being. This report cited an “an epidemic of oral diseases… affecting our most vulnerable citizens — poor children, the elderly, and many members of racial and ethnic minority groups,” and called for more equal and universal access to oral healthcare.
Seventeen years after his landmark report was released, Dr. Satcher remains committed to raising awareness for oral health disparities across the country. To this day, tooth decay is still the most common chronic disease among children. Nearly 50 million people across the country live in areas where they have difficulty reaching a dentist, and millions more can’t get care due to cost. In 2006, Dr. Satcher founded The Satcher Health Leadership Institute, whose mission it is to develop a diverse group of exceptional health leaders, advance and support comprehensive health system strategies, and actively promote policies and practices that will reduce and ultimately eliminate disparities in health.
Dr. Satcher will be speaking from 4:30-5:30 pm at the Forsyth Institute’s annual fundraiser, Discover Forsyth: A Taste & A Toast to Good Health, on June 1st. The gala reception, 5:30-7:30 pm, features tasting tables from renowned local chefs, raises funds to help advance Forsyth’s mission, and provides the opportunity to learn more about the institute’s science and public health initiatives.
About Dr. Satcher
Dr. Satcher served as the 16th Surgeon General and authored the first report on oral health to alert Americans to the full meaning of oral health and its importance to general health and well-being. He is currently the Founding Director and Senior Advisor for the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Satcher has received over 50 honorary degrees and numerous distinguished honors including top awards from the National Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Ronald Davis Special Recognition Award from the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the Symbol of H.O.P.E. Award for health promotion and disease prevention. He received the Benjamin E. Mays Trailblazer Award and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
