My mom used to tell me that the most valuable thing she owned was her library card. We were poor, but that's not what she was talking about. My mom knew that education opened doors and opened minds.

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• Richard Carmona:

  Lucy Mercedes Martinez, my mother, was probably my first mentor. She really tried to take care of m

• Richard Carmona:

  While my mother tried to stem my truancy, it would be a complete stranger - an Army Officer in the

• Richard Carmona:

  In 1967, I signed up for the Army, where I earned an equivalency diploma, then went on to join the

• Richard Carmona:

  I got into medical school at the University of California in San Francisco and did well. A lot of s

• Richard Carmona:

  We need stem-cell research, no question about it. It is absolutely crucial for moving our medical s

• Richard Carmona:

  I really think the most important thing I do is to protect the dignity and the integrity of the Off

• Richard Carmona:

  I grew up in Harlem. My grandmother was one of the best cooks around, but the first thing she did o

• Richard Carmona:

  I used to be a real doctor. Now I just play one on TV.

• Richard Carmona:

  The average person doesn't understand what a stem cell is. There's a lack of health literacy in our

• Richard Carmona:

  The overarching issue, really, is our surgeon general should be able to communicate transparently a