12) Thank you for your transformational courage, Diana!
References linked.

11) Throughout her career, Dr. Bianchi pushed past what people thought was possible — linking obstetrics to pediatrics, lab science to real patients, and researchers across disciplines. She made prenatal care smarter, earlier, and kinder. We look forward to the next phase of her leadership.

10) Dr. Bianchi has been instrumental in advancing critical research and policies that have strengthened our understanding of women’s health, especially gynecologic and maternal health… We are deeply disappointed in the decision…as it represents a significant loss of expertise at NIH.

9) ✅Led NIH’s IDENTIFY study – showing that “abnormal” NIPT results can be an early warning sign for some maternal cancers.
In response to Dr. Bianchi’s placement on administrative leave in April, prior to her October 1st termination, The Society for Women’s Health Research noted:

8) ✅Published and implemented the NICHD Strategic Plan 2020: Healthy pregnancies. Healthy children. Healthy and optimal lives.
✅Launch the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, the largest US study of its kind to gather data on mothers and their children from pre-birth to childhood

7) ✅Co-chaired the trans-NIH INCLUDE Project - to study health across the lifespan of people with Down syndrome
✅Co-led NIH’s IMPROVE initiative - a national research program to address and reduce maternal death and health disparities

6) bringing obstetrics and pediatrics together in one place. Numerous awards have recognized her scientific achievements as well as her dedication to mentorship. She brought this fearlessness and talent for connection to her work as NICHD director and head of a lab at the NHGRI, where she:

5) “fastest growing assay in genomic medicine” and a safer alternative for early detection of Down syndrome and other conditions. In 2000, she co-authored an award-winning Fetology textbook and a decade later founded Tufts’ Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI),

4) Prior to NIH, Dr. Bianchi’s career was already rich with boundary-breaking accomplishments. As a Stanford med student she isolated fetal cells from the blood of pregnant women; her subsequent advocacy for cell-free fetal DNA testing helped make non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) the

3) “Diana was a phenomenal director of an institute with a highly diverse scientific portfolio. She led with vision but also consulted with and trusted the expertise of NICHD’s scientific staff.”

2) Board-certified in pediatrics, medical genetics and neonatal-perinatal medicine, she brought a multi-disciplinary approach that built bridges and fostered ingenuity. From a colleague:

11. Articles used for reference in the comments. Quotes from former colleagues

10. Dr. Marrazzo made the most of her months as NIAID’s director – inspiring her colleagues and encouraging us all to put patients first as we lay a course for the future of science and NIH research. Thank you for your vision, Dr. Marrazzo!

9. “It was devastating she didn't get enough time to mature into the role she was given. She would have accomplished great things with the responsibility she had.”

8. ✅Filed a whistleblower complaint against vaccine and funding policies that she believed endangered research subjects and undermined public trust in science.

This last act of bravery was followed by Dr. Marrazzo being placed on administrative leave in April and termination on October 1st, 2025.

7. ✅Issued an updated NIAID HIV Language Guide to encourage respectful, inclusive and person-first communications
✅Led efforts to turn the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) program into RECOVER Treating Long COVID (TLC)
✅Advanced a new strategic plan for NIAID

6. Just like she did at UAB, Dr. Marrazzo brought a patient-centric urgency to her directorship of NIAID. Among her accomplishments, she:

✅Managed a $6.6 billion budget for NIH’s second largest institute

5. As Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases (starting in 2016), she helped the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to become one of the earliest COVID-19 therapeutic trial sites in the US.

4. She developed her expertise on sexually transmitted infections as a fellow then faculty member at the University of Washington, ultimately winning the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association’s Distinguished Career Award in 2022.