10 Things You Didn’t Know About Dr. Jerome Adams
Dr. Jerome Adams is the 20th Surgeon General of the United States of America. You may have seen him recently as he weighs in on the COVID-19 pandemic and advises the nation about what the federal government is doing to help contain the spread of the deadly virus. He has received a great deal of attention in recent weeks, but there are many news viewers who really don’t know a lot about him. Here are 10 facts that everyone should know about the US Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams.
1. Dr. Jerome Adams is a Vice Admiral in the United States Military
Dr. Adams is a Vice Admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. His job is mainly concerned with the advancement, promotion, and protection of the health and safety of the general public for citizens of the United States of America. He was appointed to the rank of Vice-Admiral in 2017, succeeding Vivek Murthy, under the Trump Administration.
2. Adams served as Health Commissioner of Indiana
Dr. Adams was appointed as the Health Commissioner for the State of Indiana on October 22, 2014. He took the post when William VanNess vacated the job and he was succeeded by Kristina Box on September 5, 2017, when he left the position. Jerome served as Health Commissioner of the state under Governors Mike Pence and Eric Holcomb. While in this role he served on the Executive Board of the Secretary of Indiana State Department of Health. Dr. Adams also served as co-chairman for the Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Governing Council for the state of Indiana. He was also involved in health care quality and regulatory initiatives, public health protection and laboratory services, tobacco prevention and cessation commissions, and many other agency boards.
3. He was born in New Jersey but is a native of Maryland
Dr. Adams was born in the city of Orange, New Jersey but his family moved to Maryland where he grew up. His birthday was September 22, 1974, which makes him currently 45 years old. His father is Richard Adams and his mother is Edrena. Jerome’s mom and dad are living in Mechanicsville, Maryland, where Jerome was raised on his family’s farm. He went to the local Chopticon High School and he graduated in the top five percent of his class in 1992.
4. Adams is not a republican, nor a democrat
He is Independent in his political preferences, currently serving under the Republican Trump administration. The fact that he is neither democrat nor republican is helpful for ensuring that he will be influenced more by his own political views and will take a non-partisan approach to the fulfillment of his duties as Surgeon General of the United States.
5. He is a family man
Dr. Jerome Adams is married to his wife Lacey Adams and the couple has three children. He spends a lot of time dedicated to his work as Surgeon General of the nation, but he has other interests as well. When he isn’t at work doing his job, he spends time with his family.
6. He was educated in the US and abroad
Jerome Adams studied at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He received a Meyerhoff Scholarship that paid the full-tuition of his courses and used the grant to fund his bachelor of science degree in biochemistry. He also earned a second Bachelors in biopsychology. He took his education much further studying in Zimbabwe and in the Netherlands.
7. Dr. Adams is well-credentialed
After completing his undergraduate studies in the sciences, Jerome Adams furthered his education. He was an Eli Lilly and Company Scholar and attended the Indiana University School of Medicine. He successfully completed his coursework and also attended the University of California, Berkeley where he earned his Master of Public Health degree. He continued with a residency in anesthesiology at Indiana University earning his board certification, and he completed his internship in internal medicine at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital from 2002-2003.
8. He is personally motivated to address the opioid addiction crisis
Dr. Adams understands the pain that families experience due to the opioid crisis in America. He has been personally touched by the issue in his own family. His brother Philip fell victim to substance abuse and mental illness. Adams shared that he has felt helpless because there was nothing that he could do to help his brother, who refused to take the help that was offered. He has a deep understanding of the pain and suffering that these social issues bring about. His brother is currently serving time in Jessup, Maryland for a burglary sentence after being in and out of jail for numerous crimes over the years..
9. Jerome Adams is medicine for a broken nation
Dr. Adams is seen as the doctor for the nation by virtue of his position, but there is a lot more to it than that. He is a man of integrity who is not willing to bend to the demands of one political party or another and he has made his position crystal clear publicly. He made the bold and necessary statement, “No more bickering. No more partisanship. No more criticism or finger-pointing,” during a White House press briefing. His call for a point of order redirected the group to focus on the health and the safety of the people that they claim to serve and he also pointed out the fact that this should be everyone’s top priority. For many, Jerome Adams is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale environment of partisan bickering that so many of us are becoming weary of.
10. He doesn’t support the use of marijuana
While there are quite a few politicians who have bent on the previous laws against marijuana use, Jerome Adams is not one of them. He stands firm on the issue and he is not okay with the legalization of yet another hazardous material for Americans to use as a recreational drug. Smoking marijuana is bad for the lungs and it impairs the judgment of the users.
You can also read:
