dr. Anthony Fauci devoted his life to medicine, learning early in his career that science, not self-interest, must always be a leader’s priority. While the idea may be unpopular in the current political climate, Fauci believes it will eventually prevail.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Fauci, now 83, served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for four decades. During this period, he helped guide public policy on HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, bird flu, swine flu, Zika and Ebola. It earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, and 62 honorary doctorates. He retired from NIAID in 2023 and now serves as Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University with joint appointments at the School of Medicine and the McCourt School of Public Policy.
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‘At the invitation’ of Dr. Anthony Fauci.
In his new memoir, Duty: Journey of a doctor in the public servicehe writes about his life, his legendary career and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
“I learned that the cause you stand for must be legitimate, worthy and not motivated by self-interest,” he writes. “Your arguments must be based on evidence and you must be truthful and consistent in your reasons for seeking funding. People quickly see anything less than that.”
But Fauci also acknowledged that science-based arguments are a hard sell these days.
“I’m not naive,” he tells PEOPLE for a story in this week’s issue. “I am aware of the destructive nature of the anti-science attitude that has been rapidly developing in society in recent years.” He adds that the problem “didn’t start with the Trump administration,” even if it “got a big jump with the Trump administration.”
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dr. Fauci talks to President Joe Biden in 2021.
Oliver Contreras/Getty
Fauci and his family have been the target of personal attacks ranging from harassment to outright death threats after he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. But even before that, the doctor was no stranger to criticism; ACT UP founder Larry Kramer once called him a “murderer” in a newspaper headline. However, he remains pragmatic in advising non-scientists on medical matters.
“It was easy to understand that it might be tempting to tell the president or his staff what you think they want to hear so as not to disappoint them,” he writes in his book. “That’s why it was crucial to be truthful and consistent in providing information based solely on scientific evidence and best judgment, and nothing else.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s ‘Brooklyn Tough’ Attitude Tested Early: Read Excerpt From His New Memoir (Exclusive)
And as time goes on, he hopes that the balance of public opinion will return to trusting the facts.
“I still feel a bit cautiously optimistic that there are better angels in everyone that will come out,” he explains. “And if people really start to realize that we’re a lot more the same than we are different, we’ll get away from… that creepiness and that hatred because it’s unsustainable. Even if you are in that camp of resentment, deep down you have to understand that this is not the solution. It just isn’t.”
Duty: Journey of a doctor in the public service is on sale now, wherever books are sold.
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Source: HIS Education