Science, Spirit, and Courage in the Midst of Covid, feat. Dr. Joe Ladapo

Dr. Joseph Ladapo is a Nigerian-American physician and health policy researcher currently serving as the Surgeon General of Florida since 2021. Born in Nigeria, he immigrated to the United States at the age of 5 with his family when his father, a microbiologist, came to continue his studies. Dr. Ladapo completed his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University, where he was a decathlete and captain of the varsity track and field team. He then went on to earn his MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ladapo has held various academic positions. He served as a faculty member in the Department of Population Health at NYU School of Medicine and as a Staff Fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Prior to his current role, he was an Associate Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Ladapo's research focuses on clinical trial interventions and reducing the population burden of cardiovascular disease. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and his studies have been published in leading medical journals.

In recent years, Dr. Ladapo has gained prominence for his bold stance on COVID-19 mitigation measures, in which he opposed mask and vaccine mandates, questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and approved alternative treatments. Currently, Dr. Ladapo serves as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine in addition to his role as Florida's Surgeon General. He is married and has three young children.