Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will take over Tony Fauci’s longtime role as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) starting this fall, the National Institutes of Health announced Wednesday. Hugh Auchincloss Marrazzo will oversee the institute’s $6.3 billion budget, taking over for Hugh Auchincloss, who has been acting NIAID director since Fauci
stepped down last December.
The appointment of Marrazzo comes as President Joe Biden in May officially nominated National Cancer Institute Director Monica Bertagnolli to lead the NIH — but her Senate confirmation is at risk of being held up by Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders
(I-VT), who has pledged to block her nomination unless the Biden administration does more to lower drug costs.
Acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak welcomed Marrazzo’s arrival, adding in a statement, “Dr. Marrazzo brings a wealth of leadership experience from leading international clinical trials and translational research, managing a complex organizational budget that includes research funding and mentoring trainees in all stages of professional
development.”
Lawrence Tabak Marrazzo comes to NIAID with a background in research on the human
microbiome, specifically homing in on female reproductive tract infections and hormonal contraception. She also has focused on biomedical interventions, like PrEP, to prevent HIV infections. Her research has focused on the pathogenesis and management of
bacterial vaginosis, STDs in people infected with HIV, and antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea.
She has been a principal investigator on NIH grants since 1997, as well as frequently serving as a peer reviewer and advisory committee member.
But Marrazzo’s appointment also comes as Republican lawmakers continue their attacks on Fauci and NIAID and are continuing their crackdown on gain-of-function research. On Wednesday, GOP lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee called on the Government Accountability Office to look into the risks and benefits of gain-of-function
research and better understand how government agencies define the term.
NIH
