There’s no update yet on whether Dr. Sanjay Gupta will leave from CNN and CBS to become the new Surgeon General, but he has won the endorsement from someone controversial who previously served in the role.

U.S. News & World Report’s Paul Bedard reports Jocelyn Elders says Gupta is right for the job, despite claims he is not experienced in the area. “I think he understands the problems,” she said. “He has enough well-trained, well-qualified public health people to teach him the things he needs to do the job.”

So what made Elders controversial? “The former surgeon general who supported teen masturbation and condom use calls the TV doctor an excellent communicator,” writes Bedard.