'Charlatan': DeSantis-appointee's conspicuous absence from university irks colleagues
University of Florida colleagues of the state's surgeon general are wondering why he's getting paid from their school when they say he's nowhere to be found.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis hired Joseph Ladapo as the state's surgeon general in 2021, and the position adds a "tenured faculty" post at the University of Florida, recalled The Independent Florida Alligator in a Monday report.
"UF fast-tracked Ladapo into a $337,000-a-year contract as part of his role as the state’s top medical official, charging him with launching an internal medicine research program, taking on a part-time teaching role and leading an administrative team," the report explained.
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Now, his colleagues are questioning how precisely he's contributing to the university.
On paper, Ladapo is an Ivy League graduate with a résumé the medical school dean called "fabulous." Three years into the term, however, more than a dozen professors and administrators have questions. Internal records also show that Ladapo's work calendar has "monthslong stretches with little or no activity."
The report recalled that Ladapo promised to bring hefty research dollars "from the University of California at Los Angeles, his previous employer. That never happened."
He claimed it was due to his former boss, who disagreed with his position on COVID-19. Ladapo has secured no grants for the University of Florida.
The course he seemed eager to teach, "Critical Evaluations of Scientific Evidence," hasn't happened either.
Yet, he can still collect "$75,000 a year leading what his contract described as an administrative team addressing healthcare disparities within UF’s hospital system," said the report, noting little evidence of the team's work has been found in records.
"Ladapo’s dual appointment is one of the most prominent examples of Florida Republicans installing party officials into lucrative posts at state universities with questionable results. State auditors recently dinged UF for continuing to pay former President Ben Sasse — previously a Republican U.S. Senator — $1 million a year to co-teach a course after his resignation," the report revealed.
Thus far, his colleagues have lodged multiple research integrity complaints. In November, he was formally rebuked by the faculty council at the medical school.
“Ladapo’s a charlatan,” said pediatrics professor Jeffrey Goldhagen. “It completely decimates the reputation of the University of Florida.”