Kin celebrate Vivek's appointment as co-chair of Biden's Covid advisory board

Mysuru: Relatives of Dr Vivek Hallagere Murthy at his ancestral village Hallagere in Mandya taluk and elsewhere in the State were ecstatic on Tuesday on his appointment as Co-Chair of President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board and his reappointment as Surgeon General of USA. Dr Vivek served as 19th Surgeon General when Barak Obama was President of the US.

Announcing appointment of seven experts including Dr Vivek, US Vice-President Kamala Harris in her Facebook post stated, "To contain and come back from this pandemic, we will need to listen to experts. Our health team brings together some of America's leading physicians, helath experts and public servants. Our health team is ready to combat our most pressing health challenges. They will lead with science, expertise, and integrity".

Speaking to the Hans India, his paternal uncle H K Vasanth Kumar said that Vivek's great grandfather Thammaiah Shetty was a landlord who owned 100 acres of land in Hallagere in Mandya district, and was known as a great philanthropist. Thammaiah Shetty had three sons including Vivek's grandfather H T Narayanashetty, Kadashetty and H Krishnashetty.

Narayanashetty served as director of Mysuru sugar factory. A Congress leader and follower of Devraj Urs, Narayanashetty hailing from Balija community headed Backward Class Federation of Mandya district. He had three daughters Sunanda, Indramma, Mahalakshmi, who live in Bengaluru, and three sons including Vivek's father, Dr H N Lakshminarasimha Murthy, H N Sathyanayan, a retired PWD executive engineer, who lives in Bengaluru, and H N Thammaiah Shetty who is an attorney in New Jercy.

Vasanth Kumar added Vivek's father Lakshminarsimha Murthy studied MBBS in Mysuru Medical College and moved to London for higher education. Vivek's mother Mythreyi is from Mysuru, and she has done MA in English literature from University of Mysuru. Vivek was born in London and when he was five year old they moved to Miami in USA, he said.

Vasanth Kumar and Vivek's cousins Ananthashetty and Yogananda distributed sweets in the village on Tuesday.

Mr Vasanth Kumar said, "All our relatives are proud of Vivek's success. Like his great grandfather Thammaiahshetty Vivek undertakes philanthropic activities. He helps people of the village and has promised to buy tabs for 30 SSLC students to help them attend online classes.

He is planning to build a "sarva dharma samanvaya kendra" at their land in the village to spread the message of equality of all faiths. Vivek last visited the village in 2013, and he is in constant touch with all relatives here with through phone calls, said Vasanth. In his speech when he was sworn in as Surgeon General during Obama administration, Dr Vivek recalled his rural roots in India.

A physician, research scientist, and former Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as 'America's Doctor,' Dr. Murthy helped lead the national response to a range of health challenges, including ebola and zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the negative effects of stress and loneliness on Americans' physical and mental wellbeing.

Prior to his tenure as Surgeon General, Dr Murthy co-founded VISIONS, a global HIV/AIDS education organization; the Swasthya Project, an India-based community health partnership that trained women in rural communities to become local leaders in health care and health education; TrialNetworks, a technology company dedicated to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of scientific research collaboration; and Doctors for America, a nonprofit mobilizing physicians and medical students to improve access to affordable care.