Who is Joseph Ladapo? Profile of Florida’s controversial Surgeon General
Joseph Ladapo: Florida’s Surgeon General redefining public health. Image Credit: The Florida Channel/file
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, born in Nigeria in 1978, has been serving as Florida’s Surgeon General and Secretary of Health since 2021. A Harvard-trained physician and health policy PhD, Ladapo has become a focal point in national debates over vaccine mandates, public health strategy, and medical freedom. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, his tenure has been marked by sharp departures from mainstream public health guidelines.
Education and Early Career
Joseph Ladapo earned his Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University in 2000, where he also captained the university’s track team. He later completed both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Health Policy at Harvard University, followed by clinical training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
His academic journey also included a year at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Master of Public Policy program, before transitioning to doctoral studies focused on health policy and decision sciences.
Academic Appointments and Research Focus
Ladapo’s professional trajectory includes faculty positions at NYU School of Medicine and a tenured professorship at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. His research, supported by NIH and other major grants, centers on cardiovascular health, behavioral economic strategies, weight loss, smoking cessation, and health interventions among marginalized populations, such as people living with HIV.
Following his appointment as Florida’s Surgeon General, he also received a professorship at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
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Public Health Positions and Controversy
Joseph Ladapo has been controversial due to positions that diverge significantly from established public health guidance. Early in the pandemic, he promoted unproven treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, opposed mask and vaccine mandates, and signed the Great Barrington Declaration advocating herd immunity through “focused protection”.
As Surgeon General, Ladapo recommended that healthy children forgo COVID-19 vaccination, making Florida the first state to openly contradict CDC guidelines, and drew criticism for manipulating state data to suggest raised cardiac risks in young men after mRNA vaccination.
Professional Criticism and Institutional Reactions
Within academia, Ladapo’s appointment raised concerns. A background check revealed his former UCLA supervisor openly declined to recommend him, citing concerns that Ladapo’s views were not rooted in foundational scientific evidence. At UF, faculty criticized his rapid tenure, limited research output, lack of grant acquisition, and minimal teaching activity, as well as his political influence over health research.
Recent Spotlight: Vaccine Mandate Repeal
In September 2025, Ladapo made headlines again, announcing Florida’s plan to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren, and controversially likening them to “slavery”. His stance reignited debates about the balance between medical freedom and public health responsibility.
Joseph Ladapo embodies a polarizing figure at the crossroads of medicine, politics, and public policy. His credentials are formidable, but his public health philosophy, marked by skepticism toward vaccination and conventional epidemiology, continues to make him a lightning rod in the national discourse on science and freedom.