In the nearly three decades that Dr. John Littell has practiced medicine in Osceola County, he has developed a loyal following of patients who resonate with his method of care. But Littell’s career hasn’t been without controversy.
As he concludes his service to Osceola County, we’re taking a look at some of the pivotal moments from his career—from protesting Planned Parenthood to bucking the system during COVID; from working on a project with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to being appointed to the Florida Board of Medicine— Littell has stood firm in his faith-based values and his take on “First, do no harm.”
A graduate of Madigan Army Medical Center and George Washington University, Littell began practicing in Kissimmee in 1998 with Drs. John Hartman and Walt Larimore. In 2002, he started his own pro-life family medicine practice.
“I think the number one thing people like about my practice is that it’s very much an independent practice—we’re not part of a huge hospital-owned practice. And I always insisted that we preserve pro-life values in our practice,” he said.
Those values came into play in 2014, when Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando announced plans to open a facility in Kissimmee. Littell’s convictions led him into community activism.
“I just I knew I couldn’t sit back and do nothing if there was any way to stop them from coming in, and so I guess I took a leadership role in that attempt,” he said. “We went to court, and ultimately, they were allowed to open up practice there.”
But while that local battle was lost, his book, The Hidden Truth: Deception in Women’s Health Care: A Physician’s Advice to Women— and All Who Care for Them, helped bring his views on women’s health to a national audience.
“Bobby Kennedy got ahold of the book a few years ago and actually asked me to contribute to a movie his organization was working on,” Littell said. “That’s a phone call I’ll never forget.”
The movie, Infertility: A Diabolical Agenda, was directed by Andrew Wakefield and argues that a World Health Organization tetanus vaccination drive secretly administered a contraceptive hormone to sterilize African women without their knowledge or consent.
Then in 2023, Littell faced the loss of his board certification due to his stance on COVID treatments during the pandemic. While many public health officials and medical organizations warned against using ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 outside of clinical trials, Littell was among physicians who prescribed them.
“I was one of those doctors giving horse medicine to people—you know, ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine,” he said. “Someday the book will be written about what I saw... and the irony is how many doctors called me to get ivermectin, including emergency room physicians. I got calls from all over the country.”
However, the American Board of Family Medicine, through which Littell is certified, determined his public statements and treatment recommendations during the pandemic represented “breaches of your professional obligation to rely on evidencebased standards when providing medical information to patients and the public” and rescinded his certification in 2023. After an appeal, his certification was reinstated later that year.
Despite some of his controversial positions—or perhaps because of them—Littell was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Florida Board of Medicine last November. The board oversees physician licensing and disciplinary cases, including medical malpractice and controlled-substance violations.
“I believe my values are part of why I was asked to be on the board,” he said during testimony in a March Senate committee.
Littell will close his Kissimmee office in September but continue practicing at his Ocala office. He had been seeking a physician to continue serving his longtime patients in Kissimmee but says he was unable to find providers who share his convictions and who are as passionate about the vocation of family medicine.
“I’m still hopeful that the practice will bring in somebody who will offer service to my patients that we’ve been able to take care of for 28 years,” he said. “We’re literally praying that the next doctor group that comes in will continue to treat people as they deserve to be treated.”
Looking back on his time here, Littell said the highs far outweigh the lows. From delivering babies to helping with end-of-life care, he said every patient encounter gave him an opportunity to get closer to God.
“I’ve had great opportunities as a physician,” he said. “What I tell people is it’s a privilege to be able to make an income off of hearing people share their stories—their life stories—with me.”
He doesn’t dwell on the lows, which he said were few.
“Part of our health journey is you can’t dwell on the many ways you’ve been hurt by others,” he said. “You’ve got to forgive and move on.”
