Antonia Novello, born Coello, was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on August 23, 1944. In childhood, Novello suffered from Hirschsprung’s disease, a chronic health condition where nerves are missing from the intestine, which limited her activities and lowered her energy. Her family could not afford the surgery necessary to permanently fix her condition, so Novello spent her summers getting interim treatment at a local hospital. She was eventually able to have corrective surgery at age 18, but a second surgery at age 20 was needed to cure her condition. This inspired Novello to help children in similar situations.
Novello earned a scholarship to the University of Puerto Rico where she received her bachelor of science. She went on to get her medical degree where she met her husband, Joseph Novello.
When her aunt died of kidney failure in 1974, Novello was doing residency at the University of Michigan, specializing in pediatric nephrology, treating kids with kidney problems. Two years later she completed a nephrology fellowship at Georgetown University and began working with ill children.
Novello eventually entered the public health field, working at the National Institute of Health. She later helped draft legislation concerning organ donation.
Novello accomplished much throughout her career: earning a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in 1982 and becoming a clinical professor of pediatrics at Georgetown in 1986.
In 1990, she was appointed surgeon general of the United States by President George H.W. Bush because of her work in pediatric AIDS at the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. As the surgeon general, Novello was the chief medical doctor and educator for the US and was in charge of giving the American public the best scientific information to protect and improve their health.
She was the first woman and the first Hispanic person to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General. In this position, she focused on the health of women, children, and minorities, bringing awareness to domestic violence and the lack of access to healthcare among minority populations.
Novello saved countless lives with her work. She was awarded the Public Health Service Commendation Medal, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Medal, and the Order of Military Medical Merit Award, to name a few. Through her perseverance and determination to improve lives, Novello has become an inspiring figure in history. •