Former U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Ri...( CHICAGO July 29 -- Former U.S. S...),Health

CHICAGO, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Richmond, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician and pioneer in child development and anti-tobacco education, died Sunday, July 27, 2008, of cancer at his home near Boston. He was 91.

Dr. Richmond served as President Carter's Assistant Secretary for Health and as U.S. Surgeon General from 1977 to 1981. As Surgeon General, Dr. Richmond 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 Dr. Richmond's lifelong commitment to the health of children and families.

"Dr. Richmond was one of the giants in our field," said Renee R. Jenkins, MD, FAAP, 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."

Born in Chicago in 1916, Dr. Richmond earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago in 1939. After serving as a flight surgeon during World War II, he returned to the University of Illinois and rose to the rank of Professor of Pediatrics. He would later go on to leadership positions at the University of Illinois, SUNY College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. In 1965, he established the national Head Start program to promote school readiness, a result of his pioneering work in the psychosocial development of children. He helped create the Neighborhood Health Centers as part of President Johnson's War on Poverty. As surgeon general, he issued the report "Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion
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