The office of Surgeon General is a non-political military role that is normally considered to be outside of regime change protocols. It has been decades since a Surgeon General stepped down during a presidential transition when Vice Admiral Julius B. Richmond stepped down on President Ronald Reagan’s first Inauguration Day. In that scenario, he was not pushed out but asked to stay on. He declined.
Joe Biden’s administration pushed former Surgeon General Jerome Adams out the door before the new president was officially inaugurated.
