Two former NIH officials alleged in whistleblower complaints filed this week that they were removed from their positions in retaliation for defending research grants and vaccines and resisting efforts to prioritize politics over science.
The complaints were filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel by Jeanne M. Marrazzo, MD, MPH, and Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, who were placed on administrative leave from top positions at the NIH in April.
Their complaints describe the environment inside NIH in the wake of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation as HHS secretary in February as hostile toward evidence-based science, including vaccines.
The complaints provide details of two meetings attended by acting NIH director Matthew J. Memoli, MD, MS, including one at the White House, in which Memoli is described as “echoing [Kennedy’s] focus on chronic disease over infectious diseases,” at the expense of vaccines. Memoli is currently the principal deputy director under NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD.
In their complaints, Marrazzo and Neuzil also allege that the administration canceled grants and clinical trials “for political reasons.”
The New York Times was first to report on the complaints. HHS did not respond to requests for comment on Friday, but an HHS spokesman told...
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