Content created by Office of the Surgeon General
Our Priorities
Public health impacts all of us. We aim to help everyone understand these important issues and how we can work together to take action.
The Surgeon General's Advisory on Alcohol & Cancer states the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, including cancers of breast in women, colorectum, and liver. Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States after tobacco and obesity.
Following on the Surgeon General’s advisory, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” Recipes for Connection” is a resource for strengthening our connections. This playful booklet provides inspiration for diverse and creative forms of gathering and connection-building, one bite at a time.
This Surgeon General's Advisory highlights the stressors that impact the mental health and well-being of parents and caregivers, the critical link between parental mental health and children's long-term well-being, and the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families.
Social media use by young people is nearly universal, but evidence shows social media presents meaningful risk of harm to youth. While we cannot conclude social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents, there are immediate steps we can take to mitigate the risk of harm. Learn more about making social media safer for youth.
Humans are wired for social connection, but we’re becoming more isolated over time. Loneliness and social isolation represent significant threats to individual and societal health and well-being. Social connection can lead to healthier, more prosperous and resilient individuals and communities. Learn more about how we can work together to advance social connection and improve our nation’s public health.
Far too many young people are struggling with their mental health and unable to get the support they need. Maintaining healthy children and families requires all of society—including policy, institutional, and individual changes in how we view and prioritize mental health. Learn more about how we can support and protect our youth.
The Surgeon General’s Social Connection webpage focuses on how we can work together to advance social connection and improve our nation’s public health.
With the abundance of health information available today, it can be hard to tell what is true or not. Many people are exposed to health misinformation: information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time. Read more about health misinformation to learn how we can stop its spread.
The pandemic has brought our nation’s healthcare workers to a breaking point. They are experiencing never-before-seen rates of burnout, psychological distress, and workforce shortages. We must act to support our health care workers with all that they need to heal and to thrive.
The new Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health documents the latest scientific evidence on disparities in commercial tobacco use and summarizes progress toward eliminating tobacco-related health disparities in the United States. The report concludes by laying out a tobacco “endgame” that focuses on strategies to end the use of tobacco products.
Keeping our families and communities safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is a key priority for the nation and for the Surgeon General. For the most up-to-date guidance, visit the CDC website.
Who We Are
Established in 1871, the U.S. Surgeon General commands the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and serves as a leading voice for public health.
The mission of the U.S. Surgeon General is to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our nation. We achieve this by:
- Communicating the best available scientific information for the benefit of all.
- Encouraging nation-wide action on public health issues in collaboration with governments, businesses, and communities.
- Developing strategies for advancing public health science and leadership