Overview
- Kennedy terminated Marrazzo’s NIAID appointment in a letter dated Sept. 26, and she was notified on Oct. 1, according to documents reviewed by CBS News.
- Marrazzo and fellow NIH scientist Kathleen Neuzil filed whistleblower complaints in early September alleging grants and clinical trials were canceled for political reasons and that officials were hostile to vaccines.
- Science first reported that three other NIH institute directors were also dismissed: Diana Bianchi, Eliseo Pérez-Stable, and Shannon Zenk.
- Kennedy cited statutory authority to appoint or remove NIH institute directors, while Marrazzo’s lawyer says she followed the Office of Special Counsel process and was punished for protected activity.
- The action is part of a broader HHS shake-up that has included leadership purges, the removal and replacement of CDC vaccine advisors, and changes to research funding priorities.