Dr. Moritsugu was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. After attending Chaminade College for two years, he received his Bachelors degree in classical languages from the University of Hawaii in 1967, an M.D. from the George Washington University in 1971, and an M.P.H. in health administration and planning from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975.
A career Public Health Service officer with the rank of Rear Admiral, he was medical director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons from December 1987 to September 1998. In October of 1998 he became Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. and since August, 2006 he has served as Acting Surgeon General.
