Florida’s first State Surgeon General visits Florida International University

The Department of Health Policy and Management in Florida International University’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work hosted Dr. Ana M. Viamonte Ros, Florida’s first State Surgeon General, on Monday April 13, 2009.

Over 100 individuals representing community and public health leaders, as well as health services administration and public health students, attended Dr. Viamonte Ros’ presentation "How Health Policy Impacts the Delivery of Healthcare." Former Florida House Representative Rene Garcia, adjunct faculty for Health Policy at FIU, joined Dr. Viamonte Ros with answering questions from the audience regarding the legislative process for funding public health initiatives.

Dr. Viamonte Ros, Florida’s Surgeon General and the first woman and Cuban American to serve as head of the Florida Department of Health, is the state's leading advocate for wellness and disease prevention. In 1983, the Surgeon General earned her medical degree from the University of Miami’s School of Medicine. She completed post-graduate residencies at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington and Shands Hospital in Gainesville. In 2005, Dr. Viamonte Ros received her Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, where she was the recipient of the Gareth Green Award for Excellence in Public Health.

Dr. Viamonte Ros' primary responsibility is to oversee the Department of Health -Florida's largest single clinical enterprise and one of the nation's most comprehensive and complex public health care delivery systems. Approximately 17,000 employees serve in all 67 counties with more than 200 clinical delivery sites. She is committed to making the health care system more user-friendly, promoting healthy habits among Florida's youth, preparing the state for natural and man-made disasters, reducing health disparities, and leading Floridians to better health by example.