Louisiana appoints vaccine-skeptic surgeon general amid push to curb mandates

Evelyn Griffin, a Baton Rouge OB-GYN known for her anti-mandate activism, became Louisiana’s surgeon general after Governor Jeff Landry’s nomination. Though she has no formal background in infectious disease or public health, she is closely linked to the Make America Healthy Again movement and to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now serves as the nation’s health secretary. Griffin has already opposed legislation that would restrict vaccine access and reduce state health authority, but those proposals stalled in committee.

Her tenure coincides with broader state efforts to roll back vaccine mandates and other public-health measures, prompting concern from experts that such changes could increase illness and mortality. While she emphasizes preventive care and “family, faith, and fearlessness,” her stance on vaccines and other health interventions remains controversial. Griffin’s husband, vascular surgeon Joseph Griffin, participates in advisory meetings and sits on a Medicaid subcommittee, further intertwining her personal network with state health policy.