Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, will become a Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University's medical school. File pool photo by Greg Nash/UPI |
License Photo
June 26 (UPI) -- Infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who rose to global prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, will become a Distinguished University Professor this week at Georgetown University's medical school.
Fauci, who dedicated 54 years to public service, will become a professor at Georgetown's School of Medicine's Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, starting July 1. He will also serve in the university's McCourt School of Public Policy.
"We are deeply honored to welcome Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a dedicated public servant, humanitarian and visionary global health leader, to Georgetown," Georgetown President John DeGioia said in a statement Monday.
"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," DeGioia added.
Fauci resigned as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the National Institutes of Health, in December after serving 38 years. He was a leading role at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and an adviser to former President Donald Trump before becoming President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser.
After announcing he would leave federal service last year, Fauci said he was looking forward to pursuing the "next chapter" of his life.
"It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID... for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges," Fauci said last August.
"I have had the enormous privilege of serving under and advising seven presidents of the United States, beginning with President Ronald Reagan, on newly emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats including HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, the anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, various bird influenza threats, Ebola and Zika, among others, and of course, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic," Fauci added.
Fauci, who is 82, emphasized last year that stepping down was not a retirement, but merely a change "to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders."
Fauci, who lives within walking distance of the Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Georgetown, said after receiving offers from other universities and companies, teaching at Georgetown was "a no-brainer."
"I feel like I'm coming home," he said.
"I ask myself, now at this stage in my life, what do I have to offer to society? And I think, sure, I could do more experiments in the lab and have my lab going," Fauci queried.
"But given what I've been through, I think what I have to offer is experience and inspiration to the younger generation of students... If I accomplish that, I think I'll make a major contribution to Georgetown."
