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Photo of Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Asealy77-

Top 10 Facts about Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon, writer and medical reporter. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Science. Gupta serves as associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

He has written several books such as Cheating Death, Monday Morning: A novel, Chasing Life and World War C: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about Sanjay Gupta in these top 10 facts.

1. Sanjay Gupta Was Born in Novi, Michigan

Gupta was born on October 23, 1969, in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, to Subhash and Damyanti Gupta. His parents moved from India before their marriage and met in Livonia, Michigan, where they worked as engineers for Ford Motor Company.

Also read: Top 10 Most Famous Doctors in the world

2. Gupta Got His Undergraduate and Medical Degree from The University of Michigan

Dr. Sanjay Gupta at MAKE Headquarters in Sebastopol, CA. Photo by Cubie King-

Gupta and his brother Suneel graduated from Novi High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1993.

He was part of Interflex, a since discontinued accelerated medical education program that accepted medical students directly from high school. When Gupta was an undergraduate, he worked as an orientation leader for the first-year orientation program and a member of the Men鈥檚 Glee Club.

Additionally, he served as president of the Indian American Students Association (IASA), now the university’s second-largest student organization. Gupta then completed his residency in neurological surgery at the University of Michigan Health System in 2000, followed by a fellowship at the Semmes Murphy Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.

3. Gupta is a Neurosurgeon

He is a neurosurgeon, an Emory Healthcare general neurosurgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital, and has worked on spine trauma and 3-D image-guided operations. He is licensed to practice medicine in Georgia.

Gupta has published medical journal articles on percutaneous pedicle screw placement, spinal cord abnormalities, and brain tumors. From 1997 to 1998, he served as one of fifteen White House Fellows, primarily an advisor to Hillary Clinton.

4. Gupta Reported on the Iraq War in 2003

In 2003, he traveled to Iraq to cover the medical aspects of the invasion of Iraq. While in Iraq, he performed emergency surgery on Iraq civilians and United States soldiers. Gupta was with a Navy medical unit at the time; specifically, a group of Corpsmen called the Devil Docs who supported the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

When Gupta was in Iraq, Marine Sergeant Jesus Vindana suffered a rear gunshot wound, and he was asked to assist because of his background in neurosurgery. The sergeant survived and was sent back to the United States for rehabilitation.

5. Gupta Was Considered for The Position of Surgeon General in 2009

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CNN announced that Gupta had been considered for the position of Surgeon General by President-elect Barack Obama on January 6, 2009. Some doctors had positive reviews saying Gupta’s communication skills and high profile would allow him to highlight medical issues and prioritize medical reform.

Other doctors raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest with drug companies who have sponsored his broadcasts and his lack of skepticism in weighing the cost and benefits of medical treatments.

Former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders also supported Gupta鈥檚 nomination saying, 鈥淗e has enough well-trained, well-qualified public health people to teach him the things he needs to do the job.鈥� However, in March 2009, Gupta withdrew his name from consideration for the post, citing his family and career.

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6. Gupta Joined CNN In 2001

In the summer of 2001, Gupta joined CNN and reported from New York following the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2011. In December 2006, CBS News president Sean McManus negotiated a deal with CNN that would have Gupta file up to ten reports a year for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and 60 Minutes while remaining CNN鈥橲 chief medical correspondent and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Gupta and Cooper led CNN鈥檚 coverage of the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. He was also a co-producer of the 2017 CNN documentary Unseen Enemy, which warned of the risks of a global pandemic.

He was the host of the CNN show Sanjay Gupta MD, for which he has won multiple Emmy Awards. Gupta also hosted the 6-part mini-series Chasing Life and was a frequent contributor to other CNN programs such as CNN Tonight, American Morning  and Larry King Live.

Also read: Top 10 Interesting Facts about CNN Studio Tours

7. Gupta Is Married to Rebecca Olson

He is married to Rebecca Olson, a family law attorney. The couple was married in 2004 in a Hindu wedding ceremony. They live in Atlanta and have three daughters.

8. Gupta Changed His Mind on Marijuana

Dr. Sanjay Gupta signing a copy of his book for a fan in the CNN gift shop. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Photo by Share Bear-

In a 2013 editorial, Gupta announced that while working on a documentary about marijuana, he had changed his mind about the drug鈥檚 risks and benefits. Gupta had earlier criticized laws that allowed patients access to medical marijuana; he reserved his critics saying, 鈥淚 am here to apologize,鈥� and, 鈥淲e have been terribly and systematically misleading for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my role in that.鈥�

The third part of his 3-hour documentary, Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution, was released in April 2015.

Gupta spent more time studying topics that provided him with information that he did know during his investigation. He has also made an effort to spend more time speaking with actual patients, which shows his belief that proponents of medical marijuana were just people looking to get high.

9. Gupta Has Received Several Honors

Gupta was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his accomplishment in the medical field on April 28, 2021. In October 2019, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine to join its 209 class of 100 members, one of the highest honors in medicine.

Subsequently, he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science in 202, and he was honored with the Fitzwater Medallion for Leadership in Public Communication by Franklin Pierce University on October 6, 2022.

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10. Gupta portrayed Himself in a Movie

Gupta portrayed himself in the movie, Contagion in 2011, which received much-renewed attention during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.