The COVID Response: Meet Dr. Fauci’s Replacement

Was She as Wrong About the Facts as He Was? 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguably the most likeable non-elected government official in recent memory, resigned last year from his role as director of NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) amid mounting criticism of his handling of the COVID pandemic.

While looking for a replacement, the NIH appointed Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak as acting director. And last week, he announced Fauci’s permanent replacement – Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

In introducing Dr. Marrazzo, Dr. Tabak said, “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.”

To be sure, Dr. Marrazzo has impressive academic credentials. (A bachelor’s degree in biology from Harvard, an MD from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Washington.) Academic credentials are meaningful for people that aspire to be academics, but when it comes to a job that matters as much as this one does, what’s more important is specific experience, past performance, and personal characteristics like honesty and integrity.

In the case of Dr. Marrazzo, I have concerns about what she has said and done in the recent past. In researching her, I discovered that she was a big proponent of mask-wearing. In fact, as late as May 2021, she was quoted as saying that she wears a mask indoors. Click here.

She also promoted the government vaccination misinformation. In July of 2021, she was blaming the spread of COVID on the unvaccinated, saying, “So much transmission in our community because a majority of people are not vaccinated. The opportunity for little kids to get infected is much higher than where the vaccination rate is much higher.”

Based on what I’ve read so far, it’s clear to me that Dr. Marazzo has been promoting the company narrative since day one. This, by the way, is not completely surprising. Her role as head of NIAID, like Fauci’s, is not to tell the truth but to say what the organization thinks the public should be told. Her role is not that of a doctor or a scientist, but of a public relations spokesperson.

I’m hoping I’m wrong. I’m hoping she will stand up for the truth. I’m withholding judgement for the moment. We’ll see soon enough.