As Marrazzo prepares for helm at IDSA, scientific community praises choice

University of Alabama at Birmingham

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has tapped Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, as its next chief executive officer (CEO), which some observers in the scientific community hail as a bold move that signals the society’s willingness to push back against the Trump administration’s perceived attempts to muzzle academics and health professionals who defy it.

“Her appointment marks a pivotal moment for IDSA as the field continues to face rapidly evolving challenges, emerging pathogens and increasing demands on the nation’s health system infrastructure,” IDSA said in a news release late last week.

Marrazzo ‘superb choice’

Marrazzo, who begins her IDSA tenure on January 12, was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) until she was fired earlier this year because of what she said was speaking out against risky public health policies. Earlier this month, she sued the Trump administration, saying she was ousted because she filed a whistleblower complaint against its efforts to undermine vaccines and defund research.

At NIAID, Marrazzo replaced Anthony Fauci, MD, who stepped down from the position in late 2022 after serving as former US President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor.

Fauci, who joined Georgetown University as a distinguished professor in 2023, told CIDRAP News that Marrazzo is a “superb choice” for IDSA CEO. “Dr. Marrazzo is an internationally recognized and admired physician/scientist who has made major contributions to the field of infectious diseases,” he said. “The field of infectious diseases will benefit greatly in having Dr. Marrazzo in this position.”

Dr. Marrazzo is an internationally recognized and admired physician/scientist who has made major contributions to the field of infectious diseases.

Anthony Fauci, MD

Marrazzo is an internationally recognized researcher on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Before joining NIAID, she was director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, broadening its clinical research portfolio, strengthening its HIV and STI treatment programs, and fostering collaborations with global health partners. An IDSA fellow, she also was treasurer for the IDSA Board of Directors from 2021 to 2023.

Marrazzo previously held leadership positions in other professional societies, including serving as president of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research and chairing the American Board of Internal Medicine Council and Infectious Disease Board.

A willingness to fight back

Virologist Angela Rasmussen, PhD, principal research scientist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, said the IDSA has made a statement by hiring Marrazzo as CEO in a milieu of retaliation and fear by the Trump administration.

“It suggests to everybody who's a member of that professional society that they've got a leader who's actually going to do something about this rather than trying to protect the institution more than its members,” she said. “Hiring somebody like Jeanne really sends a signal that IDSA doesn't care whether or not they attract negative attention from the administration.”

Rasmussen added that Marrazzo is in a unique position to fight for research funding in this area and work to preserve access to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and/or mpox vaccine should they come under attack.

It suggests to everybody who's a member of that professional society that they've got a leader who's actually going to do something about this rather than trying to protect the institution more than its members.

Angela Rasmussen, PhD

“She's the first queer person to be the director of NIAID,” she said. “This is a really powerful statement as well for those of us who identify as LGBTQ+ to have one of us like representing the Infectious Disease Society of America, because the LGBTQ+ community is going to be is going to continue to be targeted by this administration.”

‘Science over politics and science over ideology’

Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, a nonprofit that advocates for the ethical development of effective HIV prevention options and global access to these options, called the choice of Marrazzo as CEO “inspired.”

It speaks to IDSA’s desire to emphasize science over politics and science over ideology, and that's what you will get with Jeanne Marrazzo.

Mitchell Warren

“That's why this is such a bold move for a society that seeks to collaborate with all stakeholders, including the government, to have as their CEO someone who is very clearly a lightning rod right now,” he said. “It speaks to IDSA’s desire to emphasize science over politics and science over ideology, and that's what you will get with Jeanne Marrazzo.”

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of CIDRAP News, said that Marrazzo will build on the legacy of outgoing IDSA CEO Chris Busky, who has done a “remarkable job” during his nine-year tenure.

“As a member of IDSA, I am excited by her appointment,” he said. “Marrazzo is one of the premier infectious disease scientists in the world and brings a great deal of experience to the position.”