Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, will be stepping down from his current positions by the end of the year. It will mark the end of a remarkable, and often contentious, tenure leading the country's response to various health crises over the last four decades.
Fauci in recent years has become a household name — and vilified by many on the right — as he helped lead the nation's response to the COVID pandemic. But many in the LGBTQ community have known of Fauci for decades as he led efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.
"I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career. It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID, an extraordinary institution, for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges," Fauci said in an August 22 statement. "While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring."
Fauci, 81, joined the National Institutes of Health in 1968, initially working on a cure for vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks blood vessels. Appointed head of NIAID in 1984, he has spearheaded the country's HIV research effort since the early years of the AIDS epidemic, serving under seven presidents. In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, after the two worked together to launch the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has invested over $100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response.
Along the way, Fauci helmed the government's response to newly emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats including West Nile virus, the post-9/11 anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza and bird flu, Ebola, and Zika virus.
"Because of Dr. Fauci's many contributions to public health, lives here in the United States and around the world have been saved," Biden stated. "Whether you've met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans' lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him."
Though Fauci often clashed with members of ACT UP and other activists over the HIV/AIDS epidemic, he ultimately formed enduring partnerships with advocates — including some of his critics — that helped accelerate the development and approval of effective HIV treatment. Unfortunately, though, his long-time dream of an HIV vaccine has not yet come to fruition, despite the investment of billions of dollars and decades of effort.
"Thanks to his influence and support of a rigorous but compassionate scientific process, HIV was transformed from a death sentence to a chronic condition, and we now have the tools to end HIV as an epidemic in the U.S. and around the globe," Dr. Daniel McQuillen, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Dr. Marwan Haddad, chair of the HIV Medicine Association, said in a statement. "His engagement with advocates and compassion shown to people with lived experience gave voice to those most affected and expanded treatment to many who were previously unable to access it, not only for HIV, but for many diseases that are rife with stigma."
In 2020, Fauci became a near-constant presence on television and in news articles as the government's leading medical adviser on COVID-19, first under former President Donald Trump and then under Biden. Last year, he was the subject of a documentary produced by National Geographic. Thrust into the role of a national celebrity, Fauci at times appeared to struggle with how to clearly communicate complex science to the general public, including how knowledge about COVID evolved over time.
While his calm leadership earned him the admiration of many, Fauci also came under intense political attacks related to debates over the origin of COVID (some accuse him of funding so-called gain-of-function coronavirus research, a form of genetic manipulation), experimentation on beagles, and pandemic restrictions. Some Republican legislators, notably Senator Rand Paul (Kentucky), have vowed to pursue investigations and even criminal charges against him. Fauci is now accompanied by a security detail because of threats to him and his family.
Once out of the public eye, Fauci hopes to mentor the next generation of scientific leaders, travel, and complete his memoir.
"After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field," he said. "Thanks to the power of science and investments in research and innovation, the world has been able to fight deadly diseases and help save lives around the globe. I am proud to have been part of this important work and look forward to helping to continue to do so in the future."
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