Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., acting director for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), appointed Jeanne M. Marrazzo, M.D., as the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Marrazzo, currently the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will oversee NIAID's budget of $6.3 billion and lead research efforts on infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases, including responding to emerging public health threats at NIH's campuses in Bethesda, Md., and Hamilton, Mont.
“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 A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., said in an Aug. 2 news release. "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.”
Marrazzo is anticipated to start working as the director of NIAID in the fall, the release reported. To better understand, treat and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic and allergy disorders, NIAID conducts and funds basic and applied research.
Marrazzo has a deep history of research, including on the topics of the human microbiome, particularly as it relates to female reproductive tract infections and hormonal contraception, HIV prevention using biomedical interventions, such as PrEP and microbicides, the pathogenesis and management of bacterial vaginosis, sexually transmitted diseases in HIV-infected individuals and management of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea, the release said. She has continuously worked as the primary investigator on NIH grants since 1997 and has frequently participated in advisory committees and acted as a peer reviewer.
The release said Marrazzo received the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association's Distinguished Career Award, the highest honor for contributions to research and mentoring in the field. She has also acted as a mentor to trainees at all stages of professional development, including on NIH-funded training grants.
Board-certified in infectious diseases, Marrazzo is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, a master's degree in public health in epidemiology from the University of Washington in Seattle and a doctorate from Harvard University. According to the release, both the American Board of Internal Medicine Council and the ABIM Infectious Disease Specialty Board have been chaired by Marrazzo.
In order to better understand the origins of infectious and immune-mediated diseases and to create better methods of preventing, detecting and treating these illnesses, NIAID conducts and funds research at the National Institutes of Health, across the nation and internationally. According to the release, the NIAID website provides news releases, information sheets and other documents that are linked to the organization.
