Indian-American primary care physician Dr. Rahul Gupta is set to become the first medical doctor in the White House Office of the National Drug Control Policy.
The United States Senate on Thursday, October 28, approved Dr. Rahul Gupta as Director of the National Drug Control Policy on a bipartisan basis. Gupta, a prominent Indian-American primary care physician, is set to become the first medical doctor to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) position.
According to the statement released by the White House, Dr. Gupta said, “As a practicing physician and former health officer who has served in rural communities, I have seen for the first time in our communities the risk of drug addiction and overdose. Have seen the toll, but I’ve also seen how we can save lives if we understand the people behind the figures and get them where they are.”
Dr. Gupta further said that US President Joe Biden has clearly stated that combating addictions and overdose crisis is a top concern. He further assured that as part of the US National Drug Control Policy, he will work tirelessly to develop robust, data-driven solutions to improve the health and safety of citizens.
Rahul Gupta, who is currently holding MD, MPH, MBA, FACP degrees, has most recently served as Chief Medical and Health Officer, Temporary Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President at the March of Dimes, a is a non-profit organization. Dr. Gupta’s responsibilities included strategic direction of the March of Dimes’ domestic and international medical and public health initiatives.
According to a White House statement, he was a clinical professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Also served as an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership at West Virginia University’s School of Public Health, as well as the Harvard T.H. He has also worked as a guest lecturer in Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Rahul Gupta’s initiative for the development of the society
Rahul Gupta with over 25 years of experience as a doctor has observed and responded to the opioid drug crisis in the community. He also pioneered several public health programs, including the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore Project to detect high-risk newborns. Dr. Gupta serves as an advisor to various organizations and working groups on local, national and worldwide public health policy.
According to the statement, during the Ebola virus disease outbreak, Dr Gupta led the formulation of the state’s Zika implementation strategy as well as its preparedness activities.
Rahul was born in India and raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC. He is the son of an Indian officer. He was then graduated from the Medical School of Delhi University at the young age of 21. He further completed a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham as well as a global master’s degree in business administration and finance from the London School of Business.