Egeberg's Successor

From the moment he took office nearly two years ago as the nation's chief health officer, Dr. Roger Egeberg was shunned like a man with a permanent case of flu. A Democrat among Republicans, Egeberg had been the Administration's second choice for the job of Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The first choice, Dr. John Knowles, was dumped under pressure from conservatives in the American Medical Association. Within a year, rumor had it that Egeberg would be dumped as well. He had publicly agreed with critics who charged that President Nixon's federal health budget is inadequate.

Last week, after serving longer than anyone expected, a frustrated Egeberg conceded that he will soon be leaving his post for a less visible position on the HEW secretary's staff. The Nixon Administration's third choice for the position is Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, 50, dean of New York State University Medical School at Stony Brook, Long Island, and not registered in either political party.

Dr. Pellegrino is no less liberal in his views on national health needs than are Drs. Knowles and Egeberg. He has been expanding his hospital's services to the poor, favors a national health insurance plan and wants a sizable increase in the number of U.S. medical students and paramedical personnel. He is said to be an excellent administrator, a skill he will need at HEW, where his new post will involve overseeing the disbursal of some $4 billion a year. And according to some HEW insiders, administration was not one of Egeberg's strengths.

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