WASHINGTON — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired a top NIH official and former University of Alabama at Birmingham doctor after she filed a whistleblower complaint citing multiple concerns, including about vaccine research, according to her lawyer.
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was terminated 22 days after she said the Health and Human Services Department under the Trump administration was undermining scientific research, including on vaccines. Her lawyer announced the firing in a press release Wednesday.
“The Trump Administration terminated Dr. Marrazzo for her advocacy on behalf of critical health research and for her support of the overwhelming body of evidence that shows vaccines are safe and effective,” Debra Katz, Marrazzo’s attorney, said in a press release.
The Health and Human Services Department could not be reached for comment.
Marrazzo became the chief at NIAID in the fall of 2023, replacing the role Dr. Anthony Fauci had held for nearly four decades, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to NIAID, Marrazzo was a professor and director at UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases.
“I took on the role of NIAID director because I wanted to lead the premier biomedical research organization in the world,” Marrazzo said in a statement. “I proudly stand by my leadership of the Institute and the thousands of committed scientists and staff who make essential, lifesaving research possible.”
After raising concerns over the Trump administration’s cancellation of research grants and Trump-appointed NIH officials who questioned the validity of vaccines, Marrazzo was told she would be transferred to work at the Indian Health Service in March, her lawyer said. But that transfer never happened. She later filed the whistleblower complaint with the Office of Special Counsel on Sept. 4. Marrazzo had been on administrative leave.
“My termination, unfortunately, shows that the leaders of HHS and the National Institutes of Health do not share my commitment to scientific integrity and public health,” Marrazzo said. “Congress must act to protect scientific research from those who would serve political interests first.”
Katz claimed Marrazzo’s termination was in “retaliation for her protected whistleblower activity.”
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, who previously was the director of the NIH’s Fogarty International Center, also filed a whistleblower complaint alongside Marrazzo in September. In her complaint, Neuzil also raised alarm over Trump officials questioning the efficacy of vaccines and the administration’s cancellation of grants that it claimed were focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Since Kennedy was sworn in February, he has upended HHS, worked to limit vaccines and cut staff at agencies the department oversees, including firing the CDC director.