A top scientist at the National Institutes of Health has been fired just weeks after filing a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received her termination letter from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her lawyer confirmed. The move follows a wave of departures and dismissals among government scientists who have voiced concerns about White House policies they say put public health at risk, the New York Times reports.
Marrazzo's exit is part of a larger shakeup: Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable and Dr. Diana Bianchi, directors of other NIH institutes, say they were also recently ousted. Many had been on administrative leave since spring after raising red flags about political interference in vaccine and health research. Marrazzo alleged in her complaint that the administration's actions endangered research subjects and undermined scientific work—charges the NIH called "false." Her lawyer, Debra Katz, described the firing as blatant retaliation against a scientist standing up for research integrity.
NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has publicly claimed to welcome dissent, but Marrazzo's firing suggests otherwise, the Times notes. Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, another whistleblower, resigned soon after filing her complaint, saying NIH "leadership took away her ability to work in her chosen profession when they put her on indefinite administrative leave and refused to engage with her any further," per the Washington Post. Neuzil and Marrazzo say they were sidelined for opposing what they called dangerous, unscientific views on vaccines. According to their complaints, they were directed in April not to come to work and were told they would be offered positions in remote locations with the Indian Health Service.
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Marrazzo said the letter from Kennedy said he had the authority to appoint directors of NIH institutes and had "accordingly" decided to fire her, with no further explanation. In a statement, she urged Congress to "act to protect scientific research from those who would serve political interests first. Marrazzo was named in 2023 as the successor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who held the role for almost 40 years. Fauci praised the choice at the time, but warned that she'd be stepping into a "very divisive political setting, where there's been an unfortunate politicization of some of the science."
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