CNN says Gupta approached by Obama for post

By Nedra Pickler - Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has approached CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about becoming the country's next surgeon general, the cable network said Tuesday.

CNN said it has kept Gupta from reporting on health care policy and other matters involving the incoming Obama administration since learning he was under consideration for the post.

Obama's transition office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gupta hosts House Call on CNN, contributes reports to CBS News, and writes a column for Time magazine. He is a neurosurgeon and is on the faculty at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. During the Clinton administration, he was a White House fellow and special adviser to then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The surgeon general has a tiny staff, must rely on other agencies for a budget and holds little power. The surgeon general typically isn't heavily involved in shaping an administration's policy, but the position has proven over the years to be a powerful bully pulpit for disseminating public health information.