Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and head of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit. “I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci, 81, said in a statement, calling the roles “the honor of a lifetime.” Fauci became the face of the government’s response to COVID-19 as it struck in early 2020, appearing frequently on television news and in daily press conferences with White House officials, including then-President Donald Trump. But as the pandemic deepened, Fauci fell out of favor with Trump and his officials when his calls for continued public attention clashed with the former president’s desire to return to normality and promote unproven treatments for the virus. Fauci has found himself sidelined by the Trump administration, increasingly removed from major decisions about the federal response, but has continued to speak publicly in media interviews, advocating physical distancing and face coverings in public before the vaccines roll out. for COVID-19. He was also the subject of political attacks and death threats and was assigned a security detail to protect him. When Biden won the White House, he asked Fauci to remain in his administration in an increased capacity. The president praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you have met him personally or not, he has touched the lives of all Americans through his work. I express my deepest gratitude for his public service. The United States of America is stronger , more resilient and healthier because of it.” Fauci said despite his retirement from federal service, he planned to continue working. “I want to use what I learned as director of NIAID to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and guide the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats,” he said. LISTEN | Anthony Fauci talks to CBC’s The Current about the lessons learned: The current 20:50 Dr. Anthony Fauci on lessons from COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and monkeypox We talk to Dr. Anthony Fauci about the COVID-19 pandemic, the lessons he’s learned from fighting HIV/AIDS, and what the world needs to do to bring rising monkeypox cases under control.
