Dr. Anthony Fauci, who gained notoriety as one of the leading medical voices during the COVID-19 pandemic, is taking his talents from the governmental level to education.
On Monday, Georgetown University announced that Fauci would join thor Department of Medicine, serving as a “Distinguished University Professor.” That’s the top professional honor that Georgetown University gives out.
A press release issued by Georgetown said that Fauci would begin in his new role on July 1. He’ll join the Division of Infectious Diseases, a part of the school that conducts research, trains future physicians about infectious diseases and provides clinical care.
In that release, John DeGioia, the president of Georgetown, said:
“We are deeply honored to welcome Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a dedicated public servant, humanitarian and visionary global health leader, to Georgetown. Dr. Fauci has embodied the Jesuit value of being in service to others throughout his career, and we are grateful to have his expertise, strong leadership and commitment to guiding the next generation of leaders to meet the pressing issues of our time.”
Fauci was appointed as well to the university’s McCourt School of Public Policy. That school offers master’s degrees in public policy.
In December, Fauci stepped aside from his governmental role. He worked for almost four decades as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is a division of the National Institute of Health.
He worked in some capacity for the U.S. federal government for a total of 54 years. He initially joined the NIH back in 1968 when Lyndon Johnson was president. He then advised seven different presidents after that, helping to influence public policy decisions in the medical arena.
Fauci ultimately became the face of how America was responding to the COVID-19 pandemic when former President Donald Trump appointed him to serve on the White House Coronavirus Task Force in March of 2020.
During his time in that role, he faced a lot of criticism for the advice he gave people throughout the pandemic. Initially, he said that people shouldn’t wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but then changed his recommendation. That ultimately led many local governments and even states to enact mask-wearing requirements.
When President Joe Biden took office in early 2021, he named Fauci his chief medical advisor.
He’s also faced intense criticism since he testified to Congress under oath that the NIH “has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research” at the lab in China that many people speculated COVID leaked out of.
The Intercept, though, obtained documents that apparently showed that the NIH did just that, funding research at that lab, which was contrary to what Fauci said under oath.
Republican Senator Rand Paul – who clashed with Fauci many times during the pandemic – as recently as last week questioned whether Fauci was still receiving taxpayer money, after he made ambiguous statements before he retired.
