HIV researcher will head NIH ’s infectious disease institute

The infectious disease institute at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will soon have its first new chief in nearly 4 decades. Jeanne Marrazzo, an expert on sexually transmitted infections, will become director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the fall. She will succeed Anthony Fauci, who stepped down in December 2022 after 38 years at NIAID’s helm. Marrazzo, 61, currently directs the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). A physician and epidemiologist, she has expertise in HIV prevention, vaginal infections, hormonal contraception, and antibiotic resistance. NIH acting Director Lawrence Tabak noted in an announcement today her “wealth of leadership experience” including leading international clinical trials. (Marrazzo declined to be interviewed until she’s on board at NIH.) Her selection is drawing praise from researchers and AIDS activists. The Infectious Diseases Society of America cited her “innumerable qualifications,” including her mentorship of new infectious disease specialists at UAB. Marrazzo will also be the first openly gay director of an NIH institute. “I couldn’t be happier. She’s somebody who gets the big picture,” says University of California, San Diego, epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee, who got to know Marrazzo through the international HIV Prevention Trials Network. She added that Marrazzo “is supe...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news