Last week, Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that his agency would cut the workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees as part of a larger effort to enhance efficiency and conserve taxpayer funds. A senior official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was evidently caught up in the restructuring.
insider I mentioned Politico, the former spouse of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ chief, was removed from his position as a senior investigator in the Department of Bioethics at the NIH Clinical Center on Tuesday. Kennedy is reportedly responsible for Grady’s departure. I’m at the forefront of studies regarding the ethical implications of the U.S. pandemic response.
Fauci Associates Clifford Lane was reportedly dismissed alongside Emily Erbelding, the assistant director of NIAID’s clinical research and special projects as well as the director of NIAID’s Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
Among several lab directors is Fauci Ally Jeanne Marrazzo – NIAID Director, who asserted during the pandemic, "mask-wearing is highly effective" and advised against gatherings in places such as "gyms, bars, churches." She was also involved in the production and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, which received government endorsement.
"What we’ve been doing has not been effective."
Copies of agency emails to supervisors state "HHS aims to reallocate you as part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen faculties and enhance American health more effectively."
The communication offered directors located in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta the choice (and potentially an incentive to resign) to relocate to Alaska, Montana, or Oklahoma.
It remains ambiguous whether they were terminated or effectively opted to resign, rather than transitioning to a remote location.
On the inaugural day of institutional director Kennedy’s tenure, the exit of the old administration from NIH coincided with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s statement. It has drawn attention on X, "This is a challenging moment for everyone at HHS. Our thoughts are with those who have lost their jobs."
Despite referring to the terminations as challenging, Kennedy stressed that they are essential.
"The truth is evident. Our current methods are ineffective. Americans fall ill each year despite an annual expenditure of $1.9 trillion. Over the last four years, agency budgets have grown by 38%, yet results are dwindling," stated the Health Secretary. "We must change our approach. HHS must be realigned to focus on prevention as well as treatment. These adjustments will not negatively impact Medicare, Medicaid, or any other key health services."
"This is a dark chapter in the recent history of science."
In a message to staff, Bhattacharya noted that the layoffs "significantly affect essential NIH management roles, including communications, legislative matters, procurement, and HR," expressing gratitude to the "scientists and personnel who contributed to crucial advancements in biology and medicine."
The layoffs, though long anticipated, surprised some employees and angered several professionals in the health sector.
Jessica Henry, a previous digital communications expert at the National Institute of Dental Medicine at NIH, informed The New York Times that she discovered her termination after competing at the workplace in Maryland on Tuesday, announcing that she was let go along with a team of communication and health education specialists.
"We’re inundated with talk about how the administration wants to be more transparent, so there’s a lot of confusion and genuine anger among us," the former theater educator remarked. "They argue that they want to hold Americans accountable for the use of tax dollars, yet, as I see it, they dismissed all of us responsible for that."
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, expressed sorrow over the layoffs, stating, "This will be remembered as one of the darkest days in modern scientific history throughout my 50 years. These cuts will greatly affect the research and public health community."
"These will significantly impact the research community," Osterholm added.
"All of these are exceptional leaders, all talented individuals who have been dismissed without any consideration of the ensuing losses in research productivity and the impacts on programs that provide essential treatments," commented Monica Bertanori, former NIH director under Joe Biden.
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