Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was dismissed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just weeks after she filed a whistleblower complaint alleging political retaliation and interference.
Oct 3, 2025
Source:
CNN
Marrazzo Dismissed by Kennedy Jr.
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been fired by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The dismissal comes just three weeks after she filed a whistleblower complaint alleging political retaliation.
Marrazzo, who succeeded Dr. Anthony Fauci in August 2023, received a termination letter dated September 26, 2025. The letter did not provide an explicit reason for her dismissal, a move her legal team has labeled as retaliatory.
Termination Follows Whistleblower Complaint
In early September 2025, Dr. Marrazzo and another senior NIH official, Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, co-filed a complaint alleging a concerted effort to retaliate against them. The complaint centered on their objections to the Trump administration's stance on vaccines and scientific integrity.
Her lawyer stated the connection was clear, telling FierceBiotech the firing was a direct result of her advocacy for vaccines and opposition to actions that undermine public health research.
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Source:
STAT News
A Timeline of Escalating Tensions
The firing is the culmination of months of administrative actions against Dr. Marrazzo. The situation highlights ongoing friction between scientific leaders and political appointees within the nation's top health agencies.
Demotion and Administrative Leave
The sequence of events began long before the official termination.
March 2025: Dr. Marrazzo was demoted from her position as NIAID director.
April 2025: She was placed on administrative leave, ostensibly for a reassignment that never occurred.
Allegations of Politicized Science
The whistleblower complaint filed by Dr. Marrazzo contained serious allegations against the administration. As reported by The Times of India, she contended that officials:
Interfered with scientific processes to undermine vaccine research.
Politicized decisions related to research grants.
Flouted court orders related to public health matters.
Her dismissal is also part of a wider restructuring initiative under Kennedy Jr., which aims to cut tens of thousands of jobs across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to reporting from Inkl.
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Source:
STAT News
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