Roger Wicker: “I wanted to take a moment this afternoon to praise a truly outstanding public servant of the Federal Government, someone…”

“I wanted to take a moment this afternoon to praise a truly outstanding public servant of the Federal Government, someone who has contributed to healthier lives for literally millions of Americans. I speak of Dr. Phillip Gorden, who is stepping down this year after 13 years as head of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. As a member of the appropriations subcommittee which funds the National Institutes of Health, I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Gorden for the past 5 years. He is one of the Nation's preeminent health care professionals, and I am proud to say he is a fellow Mississippian. Dr. Gorden's hometown of Baldwin, Mississippi, is in my congressional district, and I know he maintains close ties to his Mississippi roots. After earning an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and then graduating from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Dr. Gorden completed residency and a fellowship at Yale University before joining the NIH back in 1966.”