The National Institutes of Health has named Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), formally replacing the retired Dr. Anthony Fauci.
After becoming a public figure during the pandemic, Fauci announced last summer that he would leave his federal government position after 54 years of service, in December. Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, Jr. stepped in as acting director.
Marrazzo, currently the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will begin her role as NIAID director in the fall. Marrazzo’s research in discovery and implementation science has focused on the human microbiome, specifically as it relates to female reproductive tract infections and hormonal contraception; prevention of HIV infection using biomedical interventions, including PrEP and microbicides; and the pathogenesis and management of bacterial vaginosis, sexually transmitted diseases in HIV-infected persons and management of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea.
As director, Marrazzo will oversee NIAID’s budget of $6.3 billion, which supports research to advance the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases.
