Dr. Jane Marrazzo Appointed Director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

2023-08-03 08:56:03

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — The US National Institutes of Health announced, on Wednesday, that Dr. Jane Marrazzo will be the new director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The National Institutes of Health said Marazzo will likely take over in the fall.

She takes over from Dr. Hugh Auchincloss Jr., who has served as acting director since Dr. Anthony Fauci stepped down from his position last December.

Marrazzo is director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In a joint statement regarding her appointment, University of Alabama President Ray Watts and Dr. Anupam Agarwal, Senior Vice President of Medicine and Dean of the University of Alabama College of Medicine, said: “This is a great opportunity for Dr. Marrazzo to make a significant difference in the country, and is indicative of the high esteem in which she is held.” and the University of Alabama alike. While we are saddened by her passing, we are delighted to call Jane up for this national service and are proud that she is one of our Alabama University.”

“Dr. Marazzo brings a wealth of leadership experience by conducting groundbreaking international clinical trials and translational research, and managing a complex organizational budget that includes research funding and mentoring interns,” Dr. Lawrence Tabak, acting director of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement. all stages of professional development.

“I look forward to welcoming Dr. Marrazzo to the NIH leadership team,” he continued.

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with a budget of $6.3 billion, is the largest NIH center following the National Cancer Institute.

The institute supports research to advance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious, immunological, and allergic diseases.

The institute has played a vital role in the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of innovative vaccines.

For his part, Fauci expressed, on Wednesday, how pleased he was with Marazzo’s appointment to his previous position.

Fauci retired at the age of 82 last December, following nearly four decades as director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and finally joined the faculty at Georgetown University.

“She’s very likeable,” Fauci told CNN. “I think she will do a really good job, and I think the people at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at least the colleagues that I’ve worked with over the past decades, including regarding 40 years as director of the institute, will love her, and I think she will like her.” Really with the team there, so I’m very happy with this choice.”

He continued, “She may be attacked for her decisions. But she just needs to realize that she should always do her best, follow science, evidence, integrity and honesty. And when she does, she will do well.”

Marazzo is known for her work in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV (AIDS).

Between 2009 and 2011, she led a large study in Africa that tested oral and vaginal drugs for preventing HIV infection in women. Many of the women who participated in the study were young and unmarried, and found that they were reluctant to use these preventive treatments, and indicated that they needed different, more acceptable options for protection. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2015.

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