US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has terminated Jeanne Marrazzo, a senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), just three weeks after she filed a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration, alleging discrepancies in vaccine research.“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 wrote in a statement following her firing. “Congress must act to protect scientific research from those who would serve political interests first.” Marrazzo was earlier demoted from her position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in March. Marrazzo had been in her role since August 2023, succeeding D. Anthony Fauci, who had served as NIAID director for nearly four decades. Last month, she filed a complaint claiming her removal was in retaliation for protesting moves by the Trump administration that undermined vaccine research. She also alleged that officials had been flouting court orders and politicizing decisions over grant allocations. In a letter dated September 26, Kennedy informed Marrazzo of her dismissal. “In my capacity as secretary, I have decided to terminate your appointment as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease,” he wrote, without providing any explanation, as reported by New York Times. Marrazzo’s firing was a part of a long list of dismissals under Kennedy, who has indicated plans to cut at least 10,000 positions as part of a restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Vaccine Practices, which makes vaccine recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control.Kennedy, long known for spreading doubts about vaccine safety and efficacy, has continued controversial policies since taking office. He has scrapped $500 million in research grants for mRNA vaccines, which are credited with saving millions of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past nine months, the Trump administration has slashed budgets, fired thousands of scientists, and significantly reduced federal health research funding. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been cut from programs focused on developing cures and new treatments for cancer.
