Former NIH Scientist Sues Over Whistleblower Firing

A former top scientist at the National Institutes of Health filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration, alleging she was illegally dismissed for raising alarms about deep funding cuts to medical research that she says threatened patient safety and public health.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, a prominent HIV researcher who previously directed the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, claims in the suit filed in federal court in Maryland that her termination violated whistleblower protection laws. According to the lawsuit, Marrazzo was placed on administrative leave last spring after questioning NIH officials about the reductions. She argued that the abrupt cuts endangered participants in ongoing clinical trials and undermined critical work on infectious diseases and vaccines.

The funding slashes, totaling billions of dollars since President Donald Trump assumed office in January, bypassed standard scientific peer-review processes, the lawsuit states. A recent report cited in the filing indicates these changes affected more than 74,000 individuals enrolled in trials for treatments targeting cancer, brain disorders and other conditions. Marrazzo's...