April 30, 2026 — The American College of Radiology has congratulated Nicole B. Saphier, MD, on her nomination to be surgeon general of the United States. Saphier would be the first radiologist physician to hold this position.
The surgeon general is nominated by the president and is confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a four-year term. The Office of the Surgeon General is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If confirmed by the Senate, Saphier would be the highest-ranking radiologist ever in government service. ACR strongly encourages radiologists to pursue their interests in public service, including running for elected office, and accepting government advisory and leadership roles in local, state and federal government departments and agencies.
As the surgeon general, often called the “nation’s doctor,” Saphier would work to provide Americans with scientific information that can improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury.
“Dr. Saphier is a tireless advocate for women’s health who has worked to increase access to lifesaving cancer screenings, enable earlier cancer detection and ultimately save countless lives,” said ACR® CEO Dana H. Smetherman, MD, MPH, MBA, FACR.
Saphier is an attending radiologist physician and associate professor of radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. She has served as an ACR alternate councilor for New Jersey and a member of the ACR Ultrasound Economics Committee, ACR Economics Committee on the Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act (MARCA) and the ACR Website Redesign Task Force.
She has held leadership and advisory positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Jersey Department of Health and Radiological Society of New Jersey. Saphier is also a New York Times best-selling author, a network news contributor and the host of the iHeart Radio podcast, Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier.
September 16, 2026 
