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Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy in a 2014 file photo.

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File photo

The White House dismissed Obama-era Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and replaced him with the deputy surgeon general.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Murthy was asked to resign his duties, according to USA Today.

Murthy announced his departure on Twitter.

Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, a nurse, will serve as Acting Surgeon General.

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While its unclear exactly when the changeover occurred, Trent-Adams photo had replaced Murthys on the official Surgeon Generals Twitter and Facebook pages on Friday night. One of the first comments on a Facebook photo of Trent-Adams on Friday night was What happened to Dr. Murthy?

Her bio had also replaced Murthys on the Surgeon Generals website.

Murthy issued a statement on his personal Facebook page, writing that he will forever be grateful to our country for welcoming my immigrant family nearly 40 years ago and giving me this opportunity to serve.

While I had hoped to do more to help our nation tackle its biggest health challenges, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to have served, Murthy wrote.

His post addressed the addiction crisis, which he wrote that we will only be successful in addressing addiction and other illnesses when we recognize the humanity within each of us. In November, he authored a report calling for Americans to view addiction as a chronic illness and not a character flaw.

We have made progress on drug addiction, Murthy said on CBS This Morning in November. How do we keep that progress going? A key part is making sure people have insurance coverage.

Murthy had called gun violence a public health crisis, and the National Rifle Association tried to block his confirmation in 2014. At the time of his confirmation, he pledged to make obesity one of his signature issues.

Murthy, 39, is a native of Britain and a graduate of Harvard and Yale.

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Obama-era Surgeon General replaced - CBS News