NIH Program Officer Placed on Administrative Leave After Speaking Out

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NIH Program Officer Placed on Administrative Leave Without Explanation

Bethesda, MD - On Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM EST, Jenna Norton, Ph.D., a program officer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was placed on administrative leave without explanation after speaking out against administration policies. This action came on her first day back on the job after being furloughed due to the government shutdown. To our knowledge, she is the only NIH employee to be placed on administrative leave since the government has reopened. 

Dr. Norton, whose research oversight has focused on eliminating health disparities, has been an outspoken advocate, in her personal time and capacity, for restoring best practices in the ethical and responsible conduct of NIH research. She was a co-organizer of the Bethesda Declaration, a public letter signed by hundreds of NIH employees and released on June 9, 2025 that called on the NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to deliver on promises of academic freedom and scientific excellence.

“This is an attempt to scare and silence Federal workers speaking up against the administration. But if we stop speaking up out of fear, we’ve given up our rights in advance.” said Dr. Norton.

Dr. Norton’s notice did not provide an explanation for the personnel action, but said it was “not disciplinary” in nature. However, when asked, an anonymous HHS official told The New York Times that it was because she is a “radical leftist who was criticizing the administration when she should have been working.” 

“Jenna is a leader in the fight for NIH though she does not serve in a leadership role at our agency. She is a rank-and-file worker showing us that anyone, at any level, can make an impact fighting for the public services we deserve. Her bravery and empathy lifts up every federal worker and scientist she meets,”  said Nina Friedman, a neuroscience Ph.D. student working at the agency speaking in her personal capacity.

The actions taken against Dr. Norton is just the latest in a string of retaliatory actions taken by this administration towards Federal employees speaking out. Last month, employees from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency and Management Agency were placed on leave and some later fired for signing letters of dissent. Other Federal employees have been fired for filing whistleblower complaints, including two workers at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and former director of the NIH’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo.

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