A Medical Device Daily

Former U.S. Surgeon General Julius Richmond, MD, a pediatrician and pioneer in child development and anti-tobacco education, died July 27, of cancer at his home near Boston. He was 91.

Richmond served as President Jimmy Carter's Assistant Secretary for Health and as Surgeon General from 1977 to 1981. As Surgeon General, he reinvigorated tobacco control efforts through the release of the 1979 Surgeon General's Report presenting for the first time overwhelming scientific evidence of the multiple harmful effects of smoking.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence — a program dedicated to eliminating children's exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke — is named in honor of his lifelong commitment to the health of children and families.

After his term as surgeon general, in 1981 Richmond returned to Harvard as the John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy and director of the Division of Health Policy Research and Education. From 1987 to 1993, he was chairperson of the steering committee for the Forum on the Future of Children and Families of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Dr. Richmond was one of the giants in our field," said Renee Jenkins, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "He was a wonderful role model for pediatric leaders in the U.S. and throughout the world, and the academy was honored that Dr. Richmond allowed us to name the AAP Richmond Center for him."