Full Breakdown
Evelyn Griffin Named Louisiana Surgeon General Amid Vaccine Policy Push
8/18/2026, 4:08:46 AM
Rise to Prominence and Appointment
Dr. Evelyn Griffin, a longtime obstetrician, entered the public eye after testifying at the Louisiana statehouse about five years ago. During that hearing she described a “great awakening” after confronting a proposal by the state health department to add Covid-19 vaccines to the school immunization schedule—an action no state had previously taken. The hearing also featured Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then a leading vaccine skeptic, who labeled the Covid shot “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” Griffin expected the debate to focus on Kennedy’s claims, but the media largely dismissed him. She later said the experience revealed how “the world worked.” In December, Governor Jeff Landry, a conservative Republican and ally of former President Trump, appointed Griffin as Louisiana’s surgeon general, positioning her to advance the health agenda promoted by Kennedy, who now serves as the nation’s health secretary.
Role in Federal Vaccine Advisory Panel
Last September, Health Secretary Kennedy appointed Griffin to a federal advisory panel on immunization policy. While serving on the panel, she voted to recommend limiting public access to Covid-19 vaccines and to end universal newborn immunizations for hepatitis B. Those recommendations were subsequently blocked by a federal judge.
Legal and Political Context
The state health department’s effort to place Covid-19 vaccines on the school schedule sparked controversy, intersecting with Kennedy’s longstanding skepticism of the shots. Griffin’s appointments by both the governor and the health secretary reflect a coordinated push to reshape vaccine policy at state and federal levels, despite judicial intervention that halted the panel’s proposals.
Potential Impact
Griffin’s new role as surgeon general gives her a platform to influence Louisiana’s public-health strategy, while her participation in the federal advisory panel signals an intent to align state actions with broader national efforts to restrict Covid-19 vaccine availability and modify hepatitis B immunization practices. The court’s blockage of the panel’s recommendations underscores ongoing legal resistance to such policy shifts.
