TUCSON — In his 17 years in this desert city, Richard Carmona, President Bush's choice for U.S. surgeon general, has become one of Tucson's most visible and sometimes controversial figures.
As a doctor and SWAT team member, his swashbuckling persona has made him a cult figure in law enforcement. But he also hasn't shied from controversy, which may well come up during his confirmation hearings. Carmona, for his part, is taking it one step at a time.
"I'm brand new to this," he said Thursday after his return from Washington. "I've never been through a process like this. It's a big learning curve."
And he is also demurring from opinions on health and medical subjects, saving that for his hearings.
"I'm still in the process," he said. "I can't address that."
Those who admire Carmona point to his take-charge attitude as a major plus for the new job. It was he, for instance, who assembled a task force of mental health experts in the aftermath of Sept. 11 to deal with the emotional needs of traumatized Tucson residents.
Yet Carmona's history also yields controversy. He has done battle, verbally and in court, with the medical center that hired him to revamp its trauma unit. And three years ago he resigned as the Pima County health director after being criticized by government officials about the mounting debts of a community hospital he oversaw.
His firing in 1993 also led to a career change away from trauma surgery and into the public health field.
"A lot of other opportunities opened up that I hadn't anticipated," he said. "The intensity of day-to-day trauma surgery is more than a full-time job."
Over the years, Carmona has stepped on some toes in the medical community here. That would include a wrongful termination lawsuit he filed against the Tucson Medical Center that was settled for a reported $3.9 million in 1993. In the suit, Carmona contended he was fired for complaining about violations of federal law and hospital policy. The case remains under seal.
His friend and fellow physician Terry Valenzuela said Carmona's moving away from trauma surgery coincides roughly with the date of the lawsuit settlement.
"What's tragic for the community and for injured persons is that he hasn't been able to do what he does so well," said Valenzuela, who teaches emergency medicine at the University of Arizona. "I think people have envied him and been jealous of him.
