Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams to lead health equity initiatives at Purdue University

Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams will be leading health equity initiatives at Purdue University.

Adams will join the university on Friday as a presidential fellow and the university’s first executive director of health equity initiatives, Purdue said in a statement. 

Adams will also be a professor of practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health, as well as a faculty member for Purdue’s Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering.

Honored to become a part of the great @LifeAtPurdue team and tradition! https://t.co/Jz5c8devbd

— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) September 30, 2021

In a statement, the former surgeon general said he wants to promote health equity through Indiana and in rural communities, as well as work with the business community to push for health equity as workforce and economic issues.

“Never before in American history has the need been greater or the community been more desirous of such an effort,” Adamas said.

“I’m excited to combine my experiences in public health and public policy with the resources and opportunities afforded by Purdue to help coordinate, amplify and innovate in the health equity space,” he continued.

Adams served as surgeon general under former President Trump from September 2017 to January 2021. Prior to his time as surgeon general, Adams served as the Indiana state health commissioner from 2014 to 2017.