By Drew Armstrong, CQ Staff

Television news celebrity and surgeon Sanjay Gupta will not be the nation’s top doctor, after pulling out of consideration for the post.

“Sanjay was under serious consideration for surgeon general. He told us he was going to withdraw for personal reasons. We hope he stays involved in public service,” said an Obama administration spokeswoman.

The administration has yet to formally announce a nominee.

The spokeswoman said Gupta “realized he couldn’t continue to practice medicine the way he wanted to.” She added that Gupta’s wife is scheduled to soon give birth to their third child, another complication.

“The timing just wasn’t going to work for him,” said the spokeswoman.

A CNN official had no comment, but the network announced the news of Gupta’s withdrawal in an early evening newscast.

Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon based in Atlanta, is CNN’s chief medical correspondent and also is a medical reporter for CBS. Over the years, he has developed into a popular, trusted public authority on health issues. While he was under consideration for the administration post, he appeared less frequently on CNN.

He was also named one of People magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2003.

While the job is in many ways a communications position, the surgeon general also oversees the U.S. Public Health Service and has responsibility to issue health warnings, such as the ones that appear on cigarette packs and alcoholic beverages. The office is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Past surgeons general have campaigned to curb smoking, combat obesity and encourage exercise in an effort to help Americans prevent chronic health problems.