After two years in private practice at Ball Memorial Hospital, Adams was named assistant professor of anesthesiology at Indiana University. He has written several academic papers and book chapters, including chapters in Anesthesia Student Survival Guide: A Case-based Approach, and an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health, "Are Pain Management Questions in Patient Satisfaction Surveys Driving the Opioid Epidemic?"
Indiana State Health Commissioner
In October 2014, Adams was appointed Indiana State Health Commissioner. He was originally appointed by Governor Mike Pence and re-appointed by newly elected Governor Eric Holcomb in 2017. In this role, he oversaw the Public Health Protection and Laboratory Services, Health and Human Services, Health Care Quality and Regulatory, and Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commissions; he also served as Secretary of Indiana State Department of Health's Executive Board, as Chairman of the Indiana State Trauma Care Committee, as President of the Healthy Hoosier Foundation, and as Co-chairman of the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Governing Council. During an HIV epidemic in 2015, Adams initially opposed needle-exchange programs on "moral" grounds, but later changed his position as cases continued to mount.
Surgeon General of the United States
On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Adams as the next Surgeon General of the United States. He was confirmed to the position on August 3, 2017. Upon his confirmation, Adams said that addressing the opioid epidemic along with untreated mental illness would be two of his major priorities. Adams was sworn in as surgeon general on September 5, 2017, and received his commission shortly after. In April 2018, Adams urged Americans who are at risk of overdosing on opioids, as well as their family and friends, to carry an over-the-counter antidote to help combat rising fatalities. In May 2018, Adams responded to an in-flight medical emergency on a flight to Jackson, Mississippi. In September 2018, Adams began a campaign along with other public health officials to promote seasonal flu vaccinations. The 2017 flu epidemic resulted in the deaths of an estimated 80,000 Americans, the highest number of deaths in at least four decades, according to CDC Director Robert Redfield. Of the 180 children who died, 80 percent were unvaccinated.
Coronavirus pandemic
In February 2020, Adams was appointed to the task force for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Adams initially downplayed the risk from COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu, which was criticized by experts. He also implored people not to buy or use face masks in public because he said they were not effective in preventing the general public from catching the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Adams later retracted this recommendation because he said there was new information about the asymptomatic spread of the virus. After Adams made statements about the increased risks facing African Americans from COVID-19, health experts criticized his assertions as misleading and lacking adequate context. Adams expressed concern the George Floyd protests could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. According to Adams, "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."
