Newly released emails show NIH scientist feared job loss after questioning COVID-19 vaccine mandates

Newly obtained emails have revealed that a senior federal health official expressed fears of losing his job and medical license after raising concerns about COVID-19 vaccines and federal mandates during the height of the pandemic.

Dr. Matthew Memoli, a physician-scientist who led the Clinical Studies Unit at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases under the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), communicated his reservations directly to then-director Anthony Fauci in 2021. The emails were obtained by The Epoch Times through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

In one email to Fauci, Memoli wrote that mass vaccination mandates might not stop viral variants from emerging and could potentially influence viral evolution in ways that might prolong the pandemic. He warned that, at worst, mandated vaccination strategies could drive changes in the virus that were “possibly detrimental.”

According to the documents, Memoli—who is now principal deputy director at NIH—was concerned that his public comments questioning vaccine policy could jeopardize both his employment and his Washington, D.C., medical license.

In written responses to questions from The Epoch Times—responses that NIH reportedly blocked from publication in 2021—Memoli said he worried about losing his job when mandate deadlines were announced.

He also stated that Washington, D.C., authorities threatened to revoke his medical license due to his vaccination status, prompting him to apply for a Virginia medical license as a safeguard.

Memoli further claimed NIH never formally approved his request for a COVID-19 vaccine exemption, leaving him uncertain about his employment status for nearly a year. He described the situation as coercive and “highly unethical.”

In November 2021, Memoli publicly told The Wall Street Journal that he believed COVID-19 vaccines were being used improperly. The same year, he addressed NIH colleagues during an “Ethics Grand Rounds” session, where he questioned the need for a vaccine mandate. Emails show that while some colleagues privately thanked him for his remarks, others defended the mandates or criticized his stance.

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The newly released emails are part of a larger body of documents obtained through FOIA litigation. In 2022, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) requested communications from NIH related to individuals reporting injuries after COVID-19 vaccination.

After NIH failed to respond, CHD filed suit in April 2023, leading to a settlement requiring NIH to produce up to 7,500 pages of records.

Documents released in 2023 and 2024 included communications indicating that reports of vaccine-related adverse events—including myocarditis cases and clinical trial injuries—had reached Fauci, NIH researchers, and officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 and 2022.

The records also showed that NIH researchers were aware by early 2022 of hundreds of peer-reviewed case reports documenting adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination.

Jeffrey Tucker, founder of the Brownstone Institute, praised Memoli for raising concerns during a politically charged period.

Meanwhile, individuals who reported vaccine-related injuries said the documents validated their experiences.

Brianne Dressen, co-founder of React19 and a participant in AstraZeneca’s U.S. vaccine clinical trial, said warnings from both scientists and patients were not adequately addressed. Retired gastroenterologist Dr. Danice Hertz also stated she repeatedly contacted Fauci and NIH officials after experiencing adverse effects but felt dismissed.

Sasha Latypova, a former pharmaceutical research executive, criticized federal officials’ continued promotion of vaccines as “safe and effective,” referencing liability protections under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), which grants legal immunity to manufacturers and administrators of medical countermeasures during public health emergencies, except in cases of willful misconduct.

In the final hours of his presidency, former President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon covering Fauci’s official actions dating back to 2014. Despite the pardon, some legal analysts have suggested Fauci could still face state-level legal challenges or be compelled to testify before Congress.

In 2025, Sen. Rand Paul intensified calls for oversight, inviting Fauci to testify regarding COVID-19 origins and previously released emails. Paul has also sought the declassification of additional intelligence records related to pandemic decision-making.

The disclosures have reignited debate over federal vaccine mandates, internal scientific dissent, and the handling of adverse event reports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal health agencies have consistently maintained that COVID-19 vaccines underwent rigorous evaluation and that their benefits outweighed known risks during the public health emergency.