In a news conference Sept. 3, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo spoke emphatically against vaccine mandates in the state, announcing he and other top state officials will seek to end them.
Many vaccines, especially for school-age children, are required by state law, but Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health, which he heads, will repeal such rules within his purview, and that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature will work to repeal the rest.
“Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God,” Ladapo said during the press conference in Valrico in Hillsborough County.
The Health Department’s latest move comes after a series of significant public health policy measures during Ladapo’s four-year tenure, such as calling for the end of public water fluoridation and imposing restrictions to gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18.
But Ladapo’s extensive medical background, both in practice and academically, encompasses several other areas.
Here’s what we know about the Florida surgeon general’s background.
Who is Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo?
DeSantis appointed Ladapo, a physician and health policy researcher, in September 2021 and the Florida Senate confirmed him in February 2022 as the state’s surgeon general.
Born in Nigeria, “he immigrated to the United States when he was 5 years old, along with his family, as his father, a microbiologist, came to the country to continue his studies,” according to the state.
Where did Joseph Ladapo go to medical school?
He earned his doctor of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School’s New Pathway Program in 2008. During his time at Harvard University, he also earned a Ph.D. in health policy.
Ladapo completed his clinical training in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2011.
He was an associate professor in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA “caring for hospitalized patients” from 2016-20.
Previously, “he served as a faculty member in the Department of Population Health at New York University School of Medicine and as a staff fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” according to the state.
What is Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s educational background?
Before his appointment, Ladapo had recently been granted a professorship at the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine, where he currently teaches.
Also prior to becoming Florida’s surgeon general, he had been working as an associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles.
According to Ladapo’s UF webpage, part of his research “examines behavioral economic strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in low-income and disadvantaged populations,” while clinically, “he has cared primarily for hospitalized patients.”
His research work also includes “clinical trials of interventions for weight loss, smoking cessation, and cardiovascular disease prevention among people with HIV,” his UF webpage says.
Ladapo graduated from Wake Forest University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Who is Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s wife?
He is married to Brianna Ladapo, an author and self-described “intuitive spiritual healer, movement therapist and teacher.” Her latest memoir, “Emerging from Darkness: A Spiritual Memoir and Guide Back to the Light,” came out in 2023.
“Ladapo and his wife have three young children,” according to the state.
USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida’s Ana Goñi-Lessan contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: A vaccine critic, what are Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s medical credentials?
Reporting by Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
