Public Letter to Dr. Fauci from Bethesda Declaration Organizers

Today, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a vote on a resolution to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci, in contempt of Congress. In solidarity, the Bethesda Declaration Organizers wrote a public letter in support of Dr. Fauci. 27 UNIHTED stands with Dr. Fauci and endorses the Bethesda Declaration Organizers in demonstrating their public appreciation in the face of political attacks. We include the text of the public letter (also on 27 UNIHTED's website) below.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Hammel 3/28/2026

“Dear Dr. Fauci,

We are writing to support you and to speak publicly in opposition to those who are attacking you.

As off-duty and former NIH staff, we have been speaking out for the past 18 months against harms to patients and science. Our group includes the authors and organizers of The Bethesda Declaration, volunteers and supporters of 27 UNIHTED, and advocates for the integrity of publicly funded health research in the United States.

Many scientists and civil servants have spoken up when our country needed us. We follow in the footsteps of those who came before, including you. We are guided by your bravery and willingness to speak directly to the American people during public health crises, from your vital and groundbreaking work during the AIDS crisis to most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize how you put your full effort into the PEPFAR initiative and repeatedly provided expertise and wisdom, giving our country a voice that could be trusted across public health emergencies.

We see politicians vilify you, redirecting grievances rooted in our failing healthcare institutions and the uncertainty that comes from evolving emergencies onto you alone. They ignore the latest understanding of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and use misinformation to erode public trust and destroy much of NIH, from the international collaborations that have made it the world’s leading health research center to our shared commitment to following evidence.

Many of us worked directly with you, and many of us proudly received the COVID vaccine in Building 10 at the institution that built the foundation for its development under your leadership. We learned from you and we continue to see you as a public health champion.

Dr. Fauci, an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We thank you for your service, your allegiance to your constitutional oath, and your commitment to science for the health of all people. Stay strong as you navigate this immense adversity. We, as off-duty current and former NIH staff, are honored to stand with you.

—Bethesda Declaration organizers and allies, in our personal capacities

Names (As of 8/6/2026):

Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou, PhD, MPH

Jenna M Norton, PhD, MPH

Nina G. Friedman, BA

Siddharth Shenoy, PhD

Anonymous

Anonymous, NIH employee

Anonymous, 20+ year career NIH employee

Anonymous, NIH scientific staff

David R. Cassatt, PhD

Joanna Szczepanik, PhD

NIH employee, hired during pandemic

Jane Doe, PhD

Anna Culbertson BS, BA

Shiv A. Prasad, PhD

Elizabeth M. Ginexi, PhD, MA

Rui C Pereira de Sá, PhD

Brad Roth, PhD

Anuja Mathew, PhD

Lindsey Pujanandez, PhD

Anonymous, 19+ year career NIH employee

Jennifer Meyers, PhD

Marci Scidmore, PhD

Stacie Gutowski, PhD

Hannah Evans, MS

Mollie Manier, PhD

Nasim W. Vahidi, PhD

Vanessa McMains, PhD

Nicolette Petervary, VMD

Anonymous, 20 year career NIH

Paul G. Grothaus, PhD

Gina Roussos, PhD

John Freimuth, MA

Shilpa Ketha, PhD

J L Rosner, Former 50 year NIH employee

Sarah Kobrin, PhD, MPH

Lori Frank, PhD

Susan Czajkowski, PhD

Sara Hargrave, PhD

Ashley Wilder Smith, PhD, MPH

Rosa Lafer-Sousa, PhD

Nina Silverberg, PhD

Andrew K. Hastings, PhD

Anonymous, PhD 19+ year NIH employee

Anonymous, NIH employee of 7 years

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee of 10+ years

Lee E. Eiden, PhD

Ann-Marie Roy, PhD

Megan Kinnane, PhD

Sarah Vidal, PhD, MPP

Jennifer Troyer, PhD

Anonymous, NIH employee of 15+ years

Asha Storm, PhD

Anonymous, 15+ year NIH employee

Anne Gershenson, PhD

Maribeth V. Eiden, PhD

Meghan Co, LCSW-C

Anonymous PhD, current NIH employee

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee

Vanitha S.Raman, PhD

Anonymous, former NIAID program officer

Anonymous, 13+ year career employee

Amy C. Palin, PhD

Anonymous, 13+ years at NIH

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee of 8 years

Beverly Pringle, PhD

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee of 6 years

Cara Anjos Breeden, MLS

EB Dickinson, former NLM

The entire extended family of an NINDS employee and CC employee.

Theresa Kim, PhD, MS

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee for 18 years

Anonymous, 9 years at NIH

Anonymous, 15 years at NIH

Gerald Marti, MD, PhD

Christa Reynolds, former NIH employee

Anonymous, NIAID staff

Anonymous NINDS PO (6 years)

NiH staff

NIH SRO

ReductionInFarce

Anonymous

NIH employee, 7+ years

KD

Anonymous

NIH CSR employee

Dana Schloesser, Ph.D

Colleen Labbe, former NIH communications

Alan Peterkofsky

Former NIH researcher and current University Faculty

NIDA Staff

Jane Doe, Former SRO

Anonymous

DLA NIH employee and scientists

Jane Doe former NIH scientist, anonymous

Anonymous-PhD

Anonymous, NIH

Anonymous

Anonymous physician scientist

Cathie M Currie, PhD, former NIMH pepidemiology

Peter Eriksson, PhD, NIH researcher

Anonymous, NIH employee of 5 years

Cara Pugliese, PhD

Jenni Pacheco, PO, NIMH

Sarah E. Morris

Anonymous PO

Anonymous, PhD, NIH employee of 7 years

Rebecca H, MD

Anonymous NIH employee, Ph.D

Anonymous

Former NIH/NIAMS communications, RIF’d 4/1/25”

27 UNIHTED, started by former National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff, aims to support the integrity of publicly funded health research in the United States. We keep true to the mission of the NIH, advocating for fundamental discoveries about living systems to apply this knowledge to enhance health for all people.