RFK Jr. Fires NIH Whistleblower Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired a top NIH scientist who filed a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who formerly directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was demoted and put on administrative leave in March, per The New York Times.

She filed a complaint against the Trump administration to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in September, claiming she was silenced and demoted after she spoke out against Trump administration policies that she argued undermined vaccine research, went against court orders and canceled important clinical trials. 

Marrazzo was officially fired on Wednesday, Oct. 1, per a copy of the termination letter obtained by The New York Times. The letter from Kennedy, who is the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, did not provide a specific reason for the termination, per the outlet.

“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 said in a statement shared by her attorneys.

She added, “Congress must act to protect scientific research from those who would serve political interests first.”

Her attorney, Debra S. Katz, additionally stated that the Trump administration “terminated Dr. Marrazzo for her advocacy on behalf of critical health research and for her support of the overwhelming body of evidence that shows vaccines are safe and effective.”

“Dr. Marrazzo bravely came forward to warn the public about the risks posed by the Administration’s hostile approach to vaccines and to protect public health research,” Katz added.

The NIH has stated that the whistleblowing allegations made by Marrazzo are false, per The New York Times.

PEOPLE reached out to Katz, as well as the NIH, for comment on Saturday, Oct. 4, but did not receive an immediate response.

Marrazzo was appointed to succeed Dr. Anthony Fauci in the role of NIAID director in August 2023. Fauci had held the position since 1984.

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Marrazzo is one of four NIH directors to have been fired in recent weeks. Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable, who led the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Dr. Diana Bianchi, who led the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Shannon Zenk, who led the National Institute of Nursing Research, have also been terminated, per Science.org.