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Because of this illness, she had to spend part of every summer in the hospital.

Doctors told her she needed an operation when she was eight, but she had to wait ten more years to get it. Novello also made major contributions to the drafting and enactment of the Organ Transplantation Procurement Act of 1984 while assigned to the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

This role is like being the "nation's top doctor." Dr. Novello made history as the first woman and the first Hispanic person to hold this important job.

She was also a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. She made a promise to herself that she would work hard so that "no other person is going to wait 18 years for surgery." This experience gave her a strong reason to help others.

Path to Becoming a Doctor

Antonia's mother was a school principal who always told her how important education was.

There, she became very interested in helping children with serious illnesses. Novello also similarly worked to discourage illegal tobacco use by young people, and repeatedly criticized the tobacco industry for appealing to the youth market through the use of cartoon characters such as Joe Camel. She once said, "When the pediatrician cries as much as the parents do, then you know it's time to get out." She decided she could help more families by working in public health.

The Public Health Service

In 1979, Dr.

Novello joined the Public Health Service, a group of health professionals who work to protect the health of all Americans. She cared so deeply for her patients that their pain felt like her own. She then completed her internship and residency in nephrology at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this role, she developed a particular interest in pediatric AIDS.

This long and difficult wait had a big impact on her.

During her tenure as Surgeon General, Novello focused her attention on the health of women, children and minorities, as well as on underage drinking, smoking, and AIDS. To construct the poster, your students will work in groups to conduct research on Antonia Novello.

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During her years at NIH, Novello earned an MPH.

degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1982. However, she found it very difficult emotionally. Antonia Coello Novello (born August 23, 1944 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) is a medical doctor who served as the United States Surgeon General from 1990 to 1993. She was the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold the position.