A group of University of Florida medical-school faculty members challenged controversial guidance by state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on COVID-19 vaccinations, but a university official said the guidance is outside the scope of Ladapo鈥檚 work with the school.
Ladapo, who holds a faculty position in the university鈥檚 College of Medicine, was tapped in September 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve as surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health. He has become a controversial national figure because of his positions on issues such as COVID-19 vaccines and mask requirements.
In October, Ladapo issued guidance advising males ages 18 through 39 to avoid getting shots with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
The Department of Health published an analysis that showed an increase 鈥渋n the relative incidence of cardiac-related death鈥� among males in that age group roughly a month after receiving the shots.
The report by the UF College of Medicine鈥檚 Faculty Council Committee, first reported by The Washington Post, was shared with medical-school faculty Tuesday. It outlined seven 鈥渕ajor critiques鈥� of Ladapo鈥檚 vaccine guidance.
Among the critiques was an assertion that Ladapo鈥檚 analysis committed 鈥渞eporting bias by cherry picking results; focusing only on evidence that supports his stance, ignoring contradicting evidence, and failing to appropriately acknowledge the limitations of his own data set.鈥�
The committee said it has 鈥渃oncerns鈥� that Ladapo violated UF鈥檚 research integrity policy and that the issue had been referred to the school鈥檚 research integrity officer.
But David Norton, vice president for research at the university, said in a statement Wednesday that UF鈥檚 research integrity office has 鈥渘o standing鈥� to look into the committee鈥檚 accusations.
鈥淎s this work was done by the Dr. Joseph Ladapo in his role as the state of Florida Surgeon General and not in his role as a UF faculty member, the UF Office of Research Integrity, Security and Compliance has no standing to consider the allegations or concerns regarding research integrity set forth in the Faculty Council task force report,鈥� Norton said.
