Earthquake Tourist’s Guide. Missoula, Mont.: Moun-
tain Press, 2004. A guidebook to major faults and
earthquakes in the state of California. In addition
to explaining characteristics of faults, the book
provides profiles of geologists and the methods
they use to study seismic activity.
Palm, Risa I., and Michael E. Hodgson.After a Califor-
nia Earthquake: Attitude and Behavior Change. Chi-
cago: University of Chicago Press, 1992. Through
twenty-five hundred interviews, the authors ex-
amine the attitudes of home owners regarding
vulnerability to a major earthquake.
Stein, Seth, and Michael Wysession.An Introduction
to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure.
Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2003. Provides an ex-
cellent reference for understanding the role of
plate tectonics and seismic waves and their rela-
tionship to earthquakes.
Thomas A. Wikle
See also Natural disasters.
Novello, Antonia Coello
Identification Surgeon general of the United
States, 1990-1993
Born August 23, 1944; Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Novello was the first woman as well as the first Hispanic to
be appointed U.S. surgeon general.
Antonia Coello Novello was appointed U.S. surgeon
general by President George H. W. Bush on March 9,
- Dr. Novello had a background in pediatric
medicine and in public health care policy. Novello
joined the Public Health Service Commissioned
Corps in 1978. As a minority woman, Novello was
very concerned that all federal health care policy de-
cisions include the health care concerns of women,
most especially minority women. While surgeon
general, Novello led workshops and conferences
to form the National Hispanic/Latino Health Ini-
tiative, which addressed problems non-English-
speaking patients have accessing health care infor-
mation and providers.
Novello also insisted that children’s medical is-
sues be of paramount importance in the allocation
of federal health care dollars. Novello developed the
Healthy Children Ready to Learn Initiative, which
tied basic pediatric health care, including immuni-
zations, with programs to promote proper nutrition.
She believed that children who are physically as well
as mentally healthy are able to perform well in
school. Novello developed a program to address
pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS), a health care problem that began to grow
substantially during her term in office.
Novello also targeted the health care problems of
older children, particularly teenagers. Novello re-
peatedly urged the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services to develop national programs to
combat underage drinking, including banning the
advertising of alcohol and alcohol-related products
in various types of media. She campaigned against
cigarette advertising that used Joe Camel, designed
specifically to appeal to a younger audience.
Novello resigned as surgeon general on June 30,
1993, and accepted the position as special represen-
tative for health and nutrition to the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Novello continued to
work as an advocate for children’s medical issues on
a global basis until 1996, when she accepted a one-
year visiting professorship in health policy and man-
agement at The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene
and Public Health, the institution at which she
earned her master’s degree in public health in 1982.
Novello then served as commissioner of health for
the state of New York until her retirement in 2007.
While commissioner of health, Novello contin-
ued her campaign to ban tobacco advertising aimed
at children and teenagers. She supported youth
antismoking initiatives. Novello also worked to sup-
port the design and delivery of healthcare support
programs to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
and AIDS patients throughout New York.Impact Much of U.S. health care policy and fund-
ing concentrated primarily on the medical condi-
tions, problems, and diseases of adult males. Novello
forced changes in federal health care policies to
address the needs of women, especially minority
women, and children.Further Reading
“Antonia Novello.” In Notable Hispanic American
Women, Book 2, edited by Joseph M. Palmisano.
Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.
Hawxhurst, Joan C.Antonia Novello, U.S. Surgeon Gen-
eral. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1993.
Victoria Erhart624 Novello, Antonia Coello The Nineties in America