U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said disease prevention is his "first and most passionate priority" at a recent keynote address at forum co-sponsored by Research! America and The Public Policy Institute of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Carmona emphasized the preventable nature of most of the diseases affecting the United States, "I am looking at disease states: asthma, diabetes, trauma, and obesity, the most pressing issue in health facing the country today," he said.

More than 300,000 Americans die every year because of obesity-related diseases and it costs the nation hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs and in lost productivity.

"Obesity is an epidemic. If we don't do anything about it we will have a morbidly obese, dysfunctional population whose care we cannot afford," Carmona added.

"We as a society can no longer tolerate the disease burdens that have given us a crisis in health care costs. Bottom line: we need to prioritize our approach. Hence, the value in research."

As an example of the potential of prevention research, Carmona pointed to cardiovascular mortality and morbidity trends over the past few decades following efforts to promote healthy lifestyles. Cardiovascular Disease rates have "lowered because people started exercising, eating right, and keeping their blood pressure in check. The outcome: a healthier segment of society, very cheap to do," he said.