The ceremony recognized retired Rear Adm. Susan Blumenthal, M.D., and her contributions to public health, global health diplomacy and women’s health equity.
Retired Rear Adm. Susan Blumenthal, M.D., a provost’s distinguished professor at Northeastern University and former U.S. assistant surgeon general, has been awarded the Insignia of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), France’s highest civilian honor.
The ceremony, held at the French ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., recognized Blumenthal’s contributions to public health, global health diplomacy and women’s health equity.
French Ambassador Laurent Bili praised Blumenthal’s decades-long leadership in U.S. public health, highlighting her work across four presidential administrations and her unrelenting advocacy for mental health, chronic disease prevention, pandemic response and the fight against cancer.
“You have served at the highest level of the U.S. government … with signature integrity and humanity,” Bili said. “You co-chair the presidential initiative on breast cancer and have led groundbreaking efforts to improve detection, including the founding of the ‘Missiles to Mammograms’ initiative.”
Blumenthal also spearheaded the creation of the National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health and the National Women’s Health Information Center, helping to integrate technology into public health through award-winning digital platforms.
Since 2013, she has been a key advocate for the Institut Curie in France and currently chairs the Madame Curie Legacy Initiative, advancing Franco-American collaboration in cancer research.
In her remarks, Blumenthal expressed gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron, Bili, her colleagues, and her husband, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. She reflected on her family’s immigrant roots and lifelong ties to France.
“To improve health is not the work of one person. It is the labor of a passionate and determined community,” Blumenthal said. “In French, you call this fraternité — what many in the United States call solidarity.”
Blumenthal’s remarks connected the symbolism of liberty and international cooperation, recalling how her great-grandparents first saw the Statue of Liberty — a gift from France — when arriving in the U.S. in 1896.
“France has always surrounded me,” she said. “Its magic and majesty were an important part of my life since childhood.”