A lot of people have misconceptions about what the surgeon general does.

I have to be careful when I'm around sweets.

Being Indian-American, I have tremendous potential to grow facial hair.

Drug addiction is tearing our communities and our country apart, and until we decide we're going to think differently about it, until we decide that we're going to invest as a country in prevention and treatment, until we decide that as individuals we're going to step up and do our part to address this epidemic, we're not going to solve this.

The surgeon general is responsible for sharing scientifically-based information with the public so that they can improve their health. But I will say personally that my goal as surgeon general is to help build a culture of prevention in America so that we are a nation that is as good at preventing illness as we are at treating it.

Most people think that you need to be healthy in order to happy.

My weakness is sweets. I like bread pudding and cheesecake in particular.