Recommended in Radapo October It notes that men under the age of 40 do not receive covid-19 mRNA vaccination and are at “abnormally high risk of heart-related death.” Physicians and public health officials quickly dismissed and attacked the underlying studies on the grounds of small sample sizes, lack of detail, and unstable methodologies.
A task force on the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Florida School of Medicine says in a new report that the analysis Radapo used to justify his vaccine recommendation is flawed. defect.” The report’s authors say Radapo engaged in “negligent, irregular, or controversial research conduct.”
The report, shared with medical school faculty on Tuesday night and obtained by The Washington Post, is the first formal challenge to Radapo from university colleagues and could spark a broader university investigation. This report has been referred to UF, the university’s office of research integrity, security, and compliance. A spokesman confirmed Tuesday. That forced the state’s flagship university to consider formally investigating the Surgeon General, led by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, for violating the principles of research integrity. (Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, said in February that he will be president of the UF.)
The faculty does not suggest that Radapo committed classic research misconduct such as data falsification or plagiarism. Instead, that report focuses on what has been described as methodological flaws in the analysis. The task force concluded that the analysis relied on data that was not statistically significant and could not compare the risks of vaccination against benefits such as limiting deaths and reducing hospitalizations from covid-19. attached. Finally, the analysis argues that the deaths are heart-related, despite lacking sufficient evidence to support it, the task force said. As a result, Ladapo’s guidance may have violated the section of his UF’s research integrity policy on “questionable research practices,” he adds.
The task force highlights the tension between Radapo’s role as a political appointee and as a university professor. “While Dr. Radapo has the rights and responsibilities as state public health director to formulate public health policy, he must also uphold the expectations and responsibilities of a tenured professor,” the task force said in a summary report of its findings. says in the book.
Radapo did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. However, he has previously publicly defended his guidance. “Backed by data, I support my recommendation against Covid-19 mRNA vaccination of young men,” Radapo said in a Wall Street Journal column published in October. At this point in the pandemic, the benefits are unlikely to outweigh these risks.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that everyone 6 months of age and older be vaccinated. coronavirus vaccination.
In response to the task force’s summary of findings, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health questioned why Radapo’s college colleagues “defamed” him about his work as a surgeon.
“The ‘studies’ that were conducted had nothing to do with universities, were surveillance evaluations of public health data, and were conducted within the authority of the Surgeon General,” said the department’s deputy spokesperson. James “Jae” A. Williams III wrote in an email. “It’s interesting that the Faculty Council has spent so much time defaming the work of their colleagues.”
A potential 2024 presidential candidate, DeSantis is a prominent vaccine skeptic. In December, he successfully persuaded the state Supreme Court to order a grand jury investigation of “crimes and misdeeds in Florida related to COVID-19 vaccines.”
Daniel Salmon, a vaccinologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, said in a recent interview that Radapo’s affiliation with UF “increases his credibility” and therefore “increases his likelihood of doing harm.” said.
Radapo, who was known for his public skepticism about vaccine and mask mandates early in the pandemic, was appointed to the University of Florida in 2021, around the time DeSantis appointed him as a surgeon. Prior to joining UF, Radapo was an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a medical degree and a doctorate in health policy from Harvard University.
Recent controversy has driven what some at the University of Florida call a hyper-politicized environment. joined the In October, students and professors criticized the opaque presidential election process in which Senator Sasse would be nominated as UF’s sole final candidate for the presidency. The UF reversed its stance after being heavily criticized.
“The weather is not good,” said Ira Longini, a task force member and professor of biostatistics. The whole system is under siege right now.”
In addition to biostatisticians, the task force included professors with expertise in infectious diseases, pediatrics, public health, vaccines, and epidemiology. Michael Haller, director of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida, chaired the group.
Haller declined to comment on the task force.
In an email to the medical school Tuesday night, Martin Rosenthal, president of the medical school’s faculty council, said “the task force found no research misconduct.” It points to a provision in the university’s policy regarding “infringement of research integrity.”[s]”Further investigations are being handled by the Office of Research Integrity,” Rosenthal told faculty.
Rosenthal did not respond to many inquiries from the Post.
At the University of Florida, referrals result in a preliminary evaluation from the Office of Research Integrity, according to an online description of the university’s process. However, that does not guarantee a formal investigation. Violations are subject to disciplinary action, including termination.
According to Christopher J. Kramer, former vice president for research at the University of Minnesota, the lawsuit against Radapo falls into the “gray area” of research compliance.
“I would never call it cheating,” said Cramer, an emeritus professor of chemistry. “Then the question arises, ‘But what about integrity?’ Faculty members at the University of Florida may have the right to suggest that the Chief of Surgeons should take a leave of absence or otherwise terminate their relationship with the University for failing to meet their academic responsibilities. ”
A challenge to Ladapo from his University of Florida colleagues is a recent incident at Stanford University in which the Faculty Senate passed a resolution condemning Scott Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, a Stanford-sponsored think tank, in 2020. reminds me ofas president Atlas, Donald Trump’s pandemic adviser, has questioned the science of mask-wearing and once urged Michigan residents to “stand up” against covid restrictions. He said the teacher’s criticism of him was “unfounded.”
Paul Offit, professor of vaccinology and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said Radapo is putting people at risk with his vaccine instruction.The university needs to stand up and say yes, said Offit. rice field.
“I think it’s the university’s duty to condemn the speaker when people say something that is inaccurate and potentially harmful,” Offit said.
