Christine Grady, a senior bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Grady’s dismissal followed NIH’s decision to focus less on pandemic preparedness.
Sources indicated that Grady’s failure to investigate the lab leak theory behind COVID-19 and her marriage to Dr. Anthony Fauci, a political opponent of President Trump, played a role.
Some colleagues praised her work but acknowledged the conflict of interest. Grady’s removal is part of a larger reshaping at NIH, with some bioethicists reassigned to remote locations.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized Fauci’s leadership during the pandemic and the Biden administration’s preemptive pardon of Fauci, suggesting it might prompt state-level investigations into his actions.
