Joseph Ladapo
Joseph A. Ladapo (born 1978/1979) is an American physician who is the surgeon general of Florida. Early life and education. Ladapo was born in Nigeria, the son of a microbiologist. He immigrated to the United States at age five along with his family. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Wake Forest University in 2000. Ladapo received a MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2008. Ladapo completed clinical training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is certified  by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Career. Faculty. In 2010, Ladapo was a resident in internal medicine, a staff fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Ladapo was with NYU Langone Medical Center. Ladapo was on the faculty of the Department of Population Health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Ladapo was a staff fellow for the Food and Drug Administration. Ladapo worked as an assistant professor of general internal medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where he was a health policy researcher. His media interviews included recommendations of flu vaccines along with  other advice. COVID-19 pandemic positions and commentary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ladapo promoted unproven treatments, opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates, questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and associated with America's Frontline Doctors, a far-right group known for promoting falsehoods about the pandemic. "Ladapo has also published several op-eds in the Wall Street Journal, including one in June questioning the safety of vaccines, and another just days ago entitled, "Vaccine mandates can't stop COVID's spread." In a March 24, 2020, opinion column in "USA Today", Ladapo wrote that he "spent the past week taking care of patients  with COVID-19 at UCLA's flagship hospital", an assertion he repeated in a later column published by the "Wall Street Journal". However, UCLA staff scheduling records from that time period reportedly did not show him assigned to treat COVID patients, and four UCLA colleagues told MSNBC in November 2021 that they did not believe Ladapo had treated COVID patients there. (Rachel) "Maddow also said Ladapo’s appearance at the America’s Frontline Doctors press conference in July 2020, “ignited conversations inside of UCLA about his work and how his actions were affecting the reputation of UCLA and its hospital.”. Florida  surgeon general. Ladapo was appointed as surgeon general of Florida on September 21, 2021, by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. He was simultaneously appointed an associate professor at University of Florida Health. He had previously been a vocal supporter of DeSantis's COVID-19 policies. During the fast-tracked hiring process at UF, the Board of Trustees chair, a DeSantis advisor, sent Ladapo's resume to the UF Health president. Some faculty alleged that university administrators downplayed information about Ladapo's controversial views on COVID-19 before a vote on his tenure, according to a draft letter obtained by the "Miami Herald" and  Tampa Bay Times. Asked on the day of his appointment as surgeon general whether he believed that states should promote vaccines, Ladapo said instead that states should promote "good health" and said that vaccines have "been treated almost like a religion. It's just senseless." In his first days as Florida surgeon general, Ladapo signed an emergency rule that repealed quarantines for schoolchildren exposed to COVID-19. In October 2021, he refused to wear a mask while in a meeting with State Senator Tina Polsky, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was set to undergo radiation therapy. Ladapo subsequently  refused to say whether he had been vaccinated against COVID-19. State Senate President Wilton Simpson sent a memo to all Senate staff and Senators that referred to his actions as "disappointing". Ladapo released a statement six days after the incident, stating that "It is important to me to communicate clearly and effectively with people. I can’t do that when half of my face is covered." The Florida Senate confirmed Ladapo as surgeon general on February 23, 2022. In March 2022, Ladapo issued a recommendation that healthy children in Florida not be vaccinated against COVID-19. In doing so, Florida became  the first state in the US to issue such a recommendation. The recommendation was contrary to that of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics Kathryn Edwards, Jeremy Redfern, Kawsar Talaat, and Mark Sawyer, all experts Ladapo cited, told the "Tampa Bay Times" that they do not agree with his decision and that he took their research out of context; with Edwards accusing him of "cherry-picking of sentences" and Sawyer saying, "I’m distressed that my quote was used to support what I think is a bad policy decision." He, as surgeon general, also has published statements against  transgender minors and their ability to transition in opposition to the suggestions set at the federal level and the results of a number of medical papers including those published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This guideline was published on April 20, 2022. He has argued that social and medical transition should be unavailable to minors in this paper. This advice is contrary to the advice by the American Academy of Pediatrics