Dr. C. Everett Koop was one of the most iconic figures in U.S. public health—instantly recognizable by his beard and bow tie, but much less known for the deeper convictions that guided his work. Despite his groundbreaking contributions to pediatric surgery, tobacco control, and AIDS education, his full story has remained largely untold—until now.

In this episode of the Public Health Insight Podcast, we speak with Dr. Nigel M. de S. Cameron, the author of the first full biography of Dr. Koop. Drawing on personal friendship and years of research, Cameron shares why he felt called to tell Koop’s story, how the book came to be, and what public health professionals today can learn from Koop’s moral clarity, courage, and complexity.

References for Our Discussion

◼️Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General

Guest

◼️Nigel M. de S. Cameron on LinkedIn

Host(s) & Producer(s)

◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP®

Production Notes

◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music Room

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Subscribe to The Insight newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest podcast episodes, live events, job skills, learning opportunities, and other engaging professional development content here.

Leave Us Some Feedback

If you enjoy our podcasts, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and spread the word to your friends to help us get discovered by more people. You can also interact directly with the podcast episodes on Spotify using the new “comment” feature! We’d love to hear what you think.

Send us a Text Message to let us know what you think.