Ladapo fires back at former UCLA supervisor who refused recommendation

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Embattled Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo said that criticism from his former UCLA supervisor was a sign that differing scientific opinions have turned into personal attacks.

Ladapo said in a phone interview that good science requires respect for all perspectives.

“It’s OK to disagree, and I’ve had no problem with disagreement, but what has been really disappointing is how disagreement has become a ticket or a passport to activate personal attacks,” Ladapo said Thursday. “It’s just sad, it’s not scientific and it’s disheartening.”

Ladapo, who is seeking confirmation from the Florida Senate, made his comments after his former supervisor at the University of California David Geffen School of Medicine wrote that Ladapo’s hands-off approach toward managing Covid-19 made his colleagues feel uncomfortable.

The unidentified supervisor provided his assessment as part of a routine background check performed by the Senate during a confirmation process.

The UCLA supervisor also told the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigator conducting the background check that Ladapo’s opinions on Covid-19 violated the doctor’s Hippocratic oath of doing no harm.

“This situation created stress and acrimony among his coworkers and supervisors during the last year and a half of his employment,” the former supervisor told the investigator.

Ladapo has been an outspoken critic of several Covid-19 safety measures, such as lockdowns and face mask use, and has questioned the effectiveness of vaccines. He also co-authored reports that determined controversial drugs such as ivectermin were effective at treating Covid-19.

Gov. Ron DeSantis picked Ladapo in September to replace former Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, generating outrage from Democratic lawmakers and science experts who condemned his stance toward the pandemic, arguing it would lead to thousands of more deaths. Lawmakers in the GOP-led Senate Committee on Health Policy last month advanced Ladapo’s nomination despite a walkout by the committee’s Democrats before the panel voted.

Ladapo is scheduled to go before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections on Tuesday, which would be his last stop before his nomination goes to a full floor vote. The senators seated on the committee include Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton), who kicked Ladapo out of her office in October after he refused to wear a mask despite her recent breast cancer diagnosis. Democrats complained that Ladapo had disrespected the wishes of a sick elected official.

The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm Ladapo. In Florida, the governor’s pick to be surgeon general assumes the duties and title of the position after being nominated but the Senate must formally confirm the individual.

Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby), when asked about the comments made by the former UCLA supervisor, jokingly said the individual must not have attended the University of Florida.

Even after confirmation, Ladapo would need to work alongside Democrats who are adamant about rejecting him as the state’s top health officer. He said his solution to build those new bridges is simple.

“I’m just going to be myself — I’m very happy to work with anyone and everyone,” Ladapo said. “People have different ideas and perspectives and that’s not a problem at all for me.”

The University of Florida College of Medicine also hired Ladapo as a professor while he serves as surgeon general. For that job, Ladapo earned glowing praise from UCLA medical school professor Carol Mangione, who wrote in a recommendation letter to the UF selection committee that he was one of the school’s most productive faculty members with continuous research funding from several grants.

“Dr. Ladapo is an outstanding clinician scientist who is building a reputation as a nationally known researcher for underserved populations,” Mangione wrote in the letter.

When asked about the letter, Mangione forwarded an email from POLITICO to UCLA spokesperson Phil Hampton, who declined to comment.

“We have nothing to offer on this topic,” Hampton wrote in an email.

When asked about the letter, UF Health spokesperson William Levesque told POLITICO to file a records request.

Mangione listed several accomplishments that Ladapo had earned at UCLA since Ladapo was hired by the school in 2016. He wishes the unnamed former UCLA supervisor would have done the same.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the individual chose to focus on essentially a disagreement over policy perspectives rather than my record of accomplishment as an academic and clinical researcher at UCLA,” he said.