Murthy’s qualifications for the position of “America’s Doctor” stem from his current work as a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate in Boston. Murthy also serves as president and co-founder of Doctors for America, a national organization of physicians that advocates for the Affordable Care Act and other health care reform policies advanced by the Obama administration.

According to at least one of Murthy’s colleagues at the Medical School, Murthy has been a standout since he first arrived in Cambridge.

Harvard Medical School professor Gerald B. Pier remembers first meeting Murthy during the summer after the Murthy’s junior year of high school, when he attended the Harvard Summer School Program and took Pier’s course on immunology.

“He stood out incredibly well because as a high school student, he got the highest grade in the class [and] had the highest score on the exam,” Pier said. “That was pretty impressive.”

—Staff writer Forrest K. Lewis can be reached at forrest.lewis@thecrimson.com.