NIH Gets Institute, Center Acting Directors After Mass Layoffs

The National Institutes of Health selected new acting directors for six of its institutes and centers after the Trump administration executed a major reorganization to the health department, according to an email obtained by Bloomberg Law.

The acting director appointments shared Friday with the agency replace leaders who were affected by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ reduction-in-force on April 1. The layoffs targeted 1,200 employees at the NIH, which sought to centralize procurement, human resources, and communications across its 27 institutes and centers.

Some directors were removed as part of the layoffs, while others were offered reassignments to the Indian Health Services, according a source familiar with the matter.

The new leaders will be responsible for helping implement Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda that seeks to scrutinize vaccines, causes of autism in children, and chronic diseases.

Among the new acting directors is Jeff Taubenberger, who will lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Taubenberger served since 2006 as the chief for the Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section at NIAID, according to the email. Taubenberger is largely known for his work in the discovery of genetic material from 1918 flu virus.

His new post will oversee extensive research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

Taubenberger replaces Jeanne Marrazzo, who led that institute but was placed on administrative leave under the reduction-in-force. Marrazzo succeeded Anthony Fauci in 2023.

Courtney Aklin, who served as acting associate deputy director of NIH since 2021, will lead the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Alison Cernich, who also served as an agency deputy director since 2019, will now be acting director of the Eunice and Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Monica Webb Hooper, who served as the deputy director for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, will now become acting director.

The National Institute of Mental Health will be led by Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, who served as the deputy director of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative since 2021.

The National Human Genome Research Institute will be led by Carolyn Hutter, who’s been the director of the NIH’s Office of Strategic Coordination since 2024.