The National Institutes of Health announced the successor to Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday following his decision to step down in December 2022.
Dr. Jeanne M. Marrazzo will begin her role as the director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the fall, according to a news release.
Marrazzo currently serves as the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
In her new role, Marrazzo will oversee a budget of $6.3 billion intended to “advance the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases,” according to the NIH.
A joint statement released by UAB President Ray Watts and Anupam Agarwal, senior VP of medicine and dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, said Marrazzo “served as a trusted advisor and friend who gave us the insights, guidance and confidence that allowed our institution to thrive in spite of immense challenges.”
“This is a great opportunity for Dr. Marrazzo to make a big difference to the country, and it is indicative of the high regard that exists for both her and UAB. While we are sad to see her go, we are delighted that Jeanne has been called to this national service and we are proud to count her as one of us at UAB,” they added.
Marrazzo is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
She is board certified in infectious diseases and has also chaired both the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Council and the ABIM Infectious Disease Specialty Board, per the NIH.
“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,” said Dr. Lawrence Tabak, acting director for the NIH.
“I look forward to welcoming Dr. Marrazzo to the NIH leadership team. I also want to extend my gratitude to Hugh Auchincloss, Jr., M.D., for serving as acting director of NIAID after long-time director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., stepped down in December 2022.”
Fauci announced his decision to step down in August 2022, releasing a statement indicating he was leaving the institute to pursue the next phase of his career.
He voiced his support for Marrazzo on Wednesday after the decision became public.
“I think she’s going to do a really good job. I think the people at NIAID, at least the colleagues I’ve been working with over the last decades and decades, including the almost 40 years that I’ve been the NIAID director, I think that they’re going to like her, and I think that she’s really going to like the team that’s there at NIAID. So I’m actually very pleased by the choice,” Fauci told CNN.
Fauci said Marrazzo might face some pushback during her tenure but advised her just to focus on the science.
“She may get challenged with attacks on her decisions. But she just needs to realize that she’s got to do the best she can, always, always, always letting her North Star [be] science, evidence and integrity and honesty. When she does that, she’ll be fine,” Fauci told CNN.
Fauci was subject to his share of criticism during his tenure as director of the NIAID, especially for his recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, online statements said Fauci was “corrupt, a war criminal, deserves to go to prison, or is responsible for child abuse circulating on social media,” according to Politico.
Some criticisms also came from elected officials, as former President Donald Trump voiced his negative opinions of Fauci at times as well.
“After seeing the emails, our Country is fortunate I didn’t do what Dr. Fauci wanted me to do. For instance, I closed our Borders to China very early despite his not wanting them closed. The Democrats and the Fake News Media even called me a ‘xenophobe,’” wrote Trump in a 2021 statement, per Politico.
