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17th U.S. surgeon general to address MUSC graduates Approximately 700 students are expected to receive degrees from MUSC’s six colleges during commencement exercises scheduled for 9 a.m. May 18 on the university’s Horseshoe.   Dr. Richard Carmona   Richard H. Carmona, M.D., MPH, the 17th surgeon general of the United States, will deliver the commencement address. He will receive a Doctor of Medical Science, honoris causa.   Other honorees include: Vice Adm. Albert J. Baciocco Jr., USN (retired), and a member of MUSC’s Foundation for Research Development, Doctor of Science, honoris causa; S.C. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg, Doctor of Humane Letters; Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., president emeritus, Association of American Medical Colleges, Doctor of Medical Science, honoris causa; S.C. Rep. Harry B. “Chip” Limehouse III, Doctor of Humane Letters; and  Jerry Zucker, CEO, The Intertech Group, Inc., Doctor of Science, honoris causa. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Carmona in 2002 to become the 17th surgeon general. He completed his four-year term in July 2006. One of the primary health concerns he addressed during his tenure was the danger of secondhand smoke, which currently is a major issue before the S.C. General Assembly and several municipalities considering bans on smoking in public places.   Following service in the U.S. Army during the conflict in Vietnam, he continued his education, ultimately earning his bachelor’s and medical degrees at the University of California at San Francisco. During his multifaceted public service career, Carmona has been a professor of surgery, chairman of the Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System and a deputy sheriff. A Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, Carmona currently is vice chairman for Canyon Ranch, a leading health and wellness company for more than 25 years.   He also serves as chief executive officer of the company’s Health Division and oversees health strategy and policy for all Canyon Ranch businesses. He is president of the nonprofit Canyon Ranch Institute and the recipient of the first Distinguished Professorship in Public Health at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.     Friday, May 4, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.