Antonia Coello Novello came into the limelight when she became the first woman and the first-ever Hispanic to be the Surgeon General of the United States of America.Antonia Novello held several other posts as well during her long and elusive career until she retired on December 31, 2014, from Florida Hospital, Orlando where she held the role of the Executive Director of the Public Health Policy. Did you know, before joining the Public Health Service, Antonia had a private practice as a pediatrician?Currently, Antonia Novello is 77 years old as she was born on August 23, 1944, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico which is a US territory. When she was appointed as the Surgeon General in 1990, it led to a moral upliftment of all the women in the USA in particular, and in the entire world in general. The year 1994 saw the inclusion of Antonia Novello into the National Women’s Hall of Fame; it honors women whose actions have had a lasting impact on the economic or social, or cultural fronts of society. According to the latest reports, there are a total of 303 women in this American institution as of 2021.Antonia Novello AwardsDuring her medical career, Antonia has held various positions such as being the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She has also made major contributions to the draft and enactment of the Organ Transplantation Procurement Act. One thing that has remained in common is the fact that she has excelled at all of her offices and won accolades throughout her career. Let us take a look at some of the awards that Antonia Novello has won to date.Antonia Novello received the Public Health Service Commendation Medal in the year 1983. The years that followed saw Antonia winning various accolades in her field and being recognized not only for her work as a Doctor of Medicine but also as a person speaking about social issues such as underage drinking. The other awards include the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal, Public Health Service Outstanding Service Medal, Public Health Service Citation Medal, Public Health Service Unit Commendation, Public Health Service Outstanding Unit Citation, Public Health Service National Emergency Preparedness Award, Public Health Service Foreign Duty Service Award, Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, Reserve Officers Association and the Surgeon General badge. Moreover, she also earned the Certificate of Recognition, NIH in 1985.Antonia Novello ChildhoodIn her early life, Antonia Novello was diagnosed with a painful condition known as Congenital megacolon. She had two other siblings and was the eldest of all. Sadly, Antonia’s father had passed away when she was just a girl of eight years and thus she was primarily raised alone by Ana Delia Flores, her biological mother.Antonia suffered from Congenital megacolon at the time of her birth itself and thus she had to frequently visit the hospital ever since her childhood. It is believed that this activity played a crucial role in Antonia opting to join the health care sector. To her relief, by the time Antonia reached the age of eight, the doctors said that her condition could be permanently cured with an operation, but the same could be performed only when she was 18 years old. Antonia had to bear with her condition for 10 more years. She was a bright student since her childhood days. Despite all her health issues, she excelled academically and Novello began her journey towards the medical sector and eventually become a doctor. Such was the impact of the illness on Antonio that she vowed to herself that in the coming future she would accomplish her aim of becoming a doctor and ensure that no person has to wait for 18 long years to get surgery done.Antonia Novello EducationNovello had a keen interest in gaining knowledge especially pertaining to the sector of health services. The fact that she herself was diagnosed with a medical problem motivated her to study sincerely. At the same time, Antonia’s mother was a school teacher by profession who went on to become a high school principal. She often stressed how important education is and it would go on to benefit Antonia herself in the days to come.Antonia was a bright student, and by the time she was 15, she had graduated from her high school with flying colors and took admission to the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. Here she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in the year 1965. The next step was joining the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan for completing her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1970. She then moved to Michigan after getting married where she further continued her studies and undertook a pediatric internship while she was at the University of Michigan Medical School. Here, Antonia was awarded the ‘University of Michigan Pediatrics Department Intern of the Year’ becoming the first-ever woman to lay her hands on the award. Once Antonia moved to Washington with her husband Joseph Novello in the year 1973, she began her residency at Georgetown University School of Medicine Hospital in the field of pediatric nephrology until the year 1976. From 1976, she began her private practice as a pediatrician but soon had to discontinue as she was getting too emotionally attached. Novello explained that if the pediatrician cries just about the same as the parents, then it is time to quit because if the pediatrician cries then they aren’t able to perform their function effectively.Three years down the lane, Antonia joins the Public Health Service where her first task is as a project officer at the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases of NIH. She was then further promoted at the Assistant Surgeon General Grade at PHSCC where she was the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the year 1986. In 1987, Antonia also served as a coordinator for AIDS research; her interests and developments in the field of pediatric AIDS then caught the attention of the White House as well. In 1990, Antonia was appointed as the Surgeon General by President George H. W. Bush. Novello primarily focused on the health care of women, children, and other minor communities. In making her efforts effective, she launched the Healthy Children Ready to Learn Initiative and also communicated with the Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services to ensure effectiveness. Following her tenure as the Surgeon General, in 1996, Antonia worked at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health as the Visiting Professor of Health Policy and Management. Did you know, Antonia has memberships of various renowned groups and institutions including the likes of DC Medical Soc., Assn. of US Military Surgeons, Amer. Soc. of Pediatric Nephrology and many more?Antonia Novello FamilyAntonia Novello was born to Antonio Coello and Ana Delia Coello. She was raised alone by her mother from a young age after the passing away of her father. She had two other siblings growing up but both of them were younger than Antonia.Antonia went on and later married Joseph Novello who by profession was a navy flight surgeon. The couple got married in the year 1970 and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan but later relocated to Washington D.C. where they eventually settled for the time being.
Antonia Coello Novello came into the limelight when she became the first woman and the first-ever Hispanic to be the Surgeon General of the United States of America.
