Public health plays a key role in eliminating the disparities in health among different racial and ethnic groups in America, according to David Satcher, MD, former Surgeon General of the United States. In Dr. Satcher's address at the 13th annual Public Health Awareness Conference in Atlanta, he said outlines here what public health needs to do. The former Surgeon General, who is now Director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine, pointed to numerous African health issues that need to be addressed and offered solutions for staying healthy.