Jerome Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerome Adams
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Official portrait, 2019
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| 20th Surgeon General of the United States | |
| In office September 5, 2017 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Sylvia Trent-Adams Erica Schwartz |
| Preceded by | Vivek Murthy |
| Succeeded by | Vivek Murthy |
| Health Commissioner of Indiana | |
| In office October 22, 2014 – September 5, 2017 |
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| Governor | Mike Pence Eric Holcomb |
| Preceded by | William VanNess |
| Succeeded by | Kristina Box |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jerome Michael Adams
September 22, 1974 Mechanicsville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Lacey Adams |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Maryland, Baltimore County (BA, BS) Indiana University, Indianapolis (MD) University of California, Berkeley (MPH) |
| Uniformed service | |
| Service/ |
PHS Commissioned Corps |
| Years of service | 2017–2021 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
Jerome Michael Adams (born September 22, 1974) is an American doctor who specializes in anesthesia. He also served as a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. From 2017 to 2021, he was the 20th Surgeon General of the United States. Before this important national role, he was the health commissioner for the state of Indiana from 2014 to 2017.
President Donald Trump chose Adams to be the Surgeon General in 2017. The United States Senate approved his nomination on August 3, 2017. His time as Surgeon General happened during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jerome Adams grew up on his family's farm in Mechanicsville, Maryland. His parents are Richard and Edrena Adams. He went to Chopticon High School and graduated in 1992. He was among the top students in his class.
He then attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He received a special scholarship called the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program. This scholarship helps minority students who are interested in science. Adams earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in biopsychology. He also studied in the Netherlands and Zimbabwe.
Adams later went to medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine. He was an Eli Lilly and Company Scholar there. In 2000, he also earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley. His studies focused on preventing long-term illnesses. He completed his medical training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at Indiana University. He is officially certified in anesthesiology.
Career Highlights
Indiana State Health Commissioner
In October 2014, Adams became the health commissioner for the state of Indiana. Governor Mike Pence first appointed him to this role. Later, Governor Eric Holcomb re-appointed him in 2017. In this job, Adams was in charge of several important health departments. These included public health protection, laboratory services, and tobacco prevention.
He also led various health committees and foundations in Indiana. During an HIV outbreak in 2015, Adams first disagreed with programs that provided clean needles. However, he changed his mind as the number of cases grew.
Surgeon General of the United States
On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump chose Adams to be the Surgeon General of the United States. The Senate approved his appointment on August 3, 2017. Adams officially became Surgeon General on September 5, 2017.
In May 2018, Adams even helped with a medical emergency on an airplane flight.
In September 2018, Adams started a campaign to encourage people to get their seasonal flu shots. The flu season in 2017-2018 had been very bad. About 80,000 Americans died, which was the highest number in at least 40 years. Of the 180 children who died, 80 percent had not been vaccinated.
Role During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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In February 2020, Adams joined the special team dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, Adams compared the risk of COVID-19 to the flu. Some experts criticized this comparison. He also told people not to buy or use face masks in public. He said they were not effective for the general public and might even increase risk. This advice was similar to what other health experts, like Anthony Fauci, said at the time, based on the limited information available.
Adams later changed his advice about masks. He explained that new information showed the virus could spread from people who didn't show symptoms. After Adams talked about how COVID-19 affected African Americans more, some health experts said his statements were confusing.
Adams also worried that the George Floyd protests might cause more COVID-19 cases. He said, "Based on the way the disease spreads, there is every reason to expect that we will see new clusters and potentially new outbreaks moving forward."
Adams was asked to step down as Surgeon General by the new Biden administration. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy took his place. Adams officially resigned on January 20, 2021.
After Being Surgeon General
After his time as Surgeon General, Adams joined Purdue University in October 2021. He became a special fellow and the first executive director for health fairness programs. He also teaches in the Pharmacy Practice and Public Health departments. Adams mentioned that it was hard to find a job in academics or business after working for the Trump administration.
Personal Life
Jerome Adams is Catholic. He is married to Lacey Adams, and they have three children.
Images for kids
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