Gupta, Sanjay

▪ American neurosurgeon and medical correspondent

born Oct. 23, 1969, Novi, Mich., U.S.

 

 American neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN ( Cable News Network). Gupta was best known for his captivating reports on health and medical topics, as well as his appearances on multiple CNN television shows, including American Morning and House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, which he hosted.

      Gupta grew up in Novi, Mich., located on the outskirts of Detroit, where his parents, immigrants from India and Pakistan, worked as engineers for the Ford Motor Company. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and a deep desire to learn. In Gupta's final year of high school, he was accepted into an eight-year medical program called Inteflex at the University of Michigan (Michigan, University of). This enabled him to secure a spot in the university's medical school while still a student in high school. In the late 1980s, during his undergraduate studies, he wrote for the university's newspaper, reporting on health care issues. He also wrote several articles that were published in The Economist. These articles discussed medical care in the United States and other countries and were read by Bill Clinton (Clinton, Bill) (then governor of Arkansas) and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton (Clinton, Hillary Rodham), both of whom Gupta met in 1989. In 1997, during Bill Clinton's second term as president of the United States, Gupta received a White House Fellowship, which afforded him the opportunity to work as a special adviser to Hillary Clinton. His main assignment was to help the first lady write speeches on medicine and health care issues. Upon Gupta's return to the University of Michigan, he completed his medical degree in neurosurgery and subsequently worked as a fellow at the university's medical centre and later as a fellow at the University of Tennessee.

      While Gupta was a fellow in the White House, he met American journalist and chief executive officer of CNN Tom Johnson. In 2001 Gupta was invited to join the network's medical news team, a position that he readily accepted. He immediately focused on coverage of the September 11 attacks in New York City and then reported on the subsequent anthrax attacks. His reporting from Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, where he not only provided live coverage of a military operating room but also performed brain surgery on injured soldiers, was considered groundbreaking. His other notable reports included coverage of the AIDS pandemic in 2004 and coverage of Charity Hospital of New Orleans, where 200 patients were trapped for five days following Hurricane Katrina (Katrina, Hurricane) in 2005. Gupta's report of the situation at Charity Hospital contributed to the Peabody Award received by CNN in 2005 for the network's in-depth coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Gupta received an Emmy Award in 2006 for his report titled Charity Hospital.

      Gupta's show, House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a half-hour CNN program, provided a vehicle through which he could communicate health and medical information to viewers. His desire to educate the public about health care, particularly obesity, caught the attention of audiences across the country and inspired several nationwide tours, including “New You Resolution”(2006) and “Fit Nation” (2007), that were aimed at encouraging Americans to eat healthy foods and live active lifestyles. Gupta also took part in several CNN documentaries, including Killer Flu (2007), which focused on bird flu, and Broken Government: Health Care Critical Condition (2008), which drew attention to the failings of the U.S. health care system. In 2008, during the U.S. presidential campaign, Gupta reported on the health impacts associated with the presidency and explored the health of the candidates in the documentaries The First Patient and Fit to Lead.

      Gupta held a faculty position in the neurosurgery department at Emory University School of Medicine and was a neurosurgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to his work for CNN, he contributed to several shows on the CBS (CBS Corporation) television network, including 60 Minutes and CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. In addition to Gupta's numerous scientific publications, he wrote Chasing Life (2007), a book about the modern-day pursuit of eternal youth.

Kara Rogers

 

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