TrialNetworks co-founder and chairman Vivek Murthy, M.D., MBA, has been nominated to be the 19th Surgeon General of the U.S. by President Barack Obama.

Murthy currently is an attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. In 2011, President Obama appointed Murthy to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health. His past research has focused on the participation of women and minorities in cancer clinical trials.

Murthy co-founded TrialNetworks with CEO Eric Silberstein (his Harvard University classmate) and chief technology officer Ezra Freedman.

“Murthy’s focus has always been on using his experience in medicine and science to find ways to help patients and improve healthcare on a broad scale,” said Silberstein. “His vision and insights led to the creation of TrialNetworks and our Clinical Trial Optimization System, which enables pharmaceutical companies to bring novel therapies to patients faster by running more efficient and higher-quality trials.”

Upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Murthy will step down as chairman of TrialNetworks.