He’s led the country medically under seven US presidents.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has seen the US progress through decades of change. Love him or hate him, Fauci is the medical expert who has guided the country through the coronavirus pandemic and more, as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the White House chief medical advisor. His career has been long and illustrious, providing the US with information to help make better health decisions.
Dr. Fauci recently announced he will be stepping down from his role this December, 2022, marking an end to his legacy as a top advisor in the US. Here’s a bit about his journey.
From Brooklyn to Washington
Dr. Fauci was born on Christmas eve, December 24, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. Fauci’s parents were first-generation Italian Americans and his father owned a local pharmacy. Dr. Fauci spent many of his early years busy at school on various sports teams and excelling in his academic studies. He also helped his father with daily tasks such as running the cash register at the family’s pharmacy and making deliveries to clients in his off hours.
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Dr. Fauci attended Cornell Medical School and graduated top of his class in 1966. He then began his career at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 1968. Always an achiever, Fauci later became the director of the NIAID in 1984.
Groundbreaking Research
In his early career, Dr. Fauci became known for his groundbreaking research in immunoregulation. During his work, he developed drug regimes to treat fatal diseases like lymphomatoid granulomatosis and polyarteritis nodosa. Dr. Fauci also got the US government to take the AIDS crisis more seriously than it had been in the 1980s and spearheaded funding and development that helped the scientific community gain a better understanding of how HIV attacks the human body. This helped lead to the development of medication that now allows HIV patients to live longer, prosperous lives and avoid the early death sentence the disease once promised.
Providing Guidance Under Seven US Presidents
Dr. Fauci has worked as the head of NIAID and the top infectious disease expert in the US under an impressive seven US presidents. These have included Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. In this role, Dr. Fauci has led the country through numerous public health threats including SARS, the anthrax scare, swine flu, and West Nile virus, and of course, the coronavirus pandemic. His role has been to provide information, insight and advice.
The recipient of numerous awards, honors, and accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and being part of the Government Hall of Fame, Dr. Fauci is revered by many for his straightforward, no-nonsense approach in delivering medical and scientific information to the American public. He is a controversial person for some, and will no doubt be remembered.
For more information on Dr. Fauci’s formative years and career, please visit Biography.com.
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