Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Impactful Career Across 7 US Presidents

Dr. Anthony Fauci: A Legacy in Public Health

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a prominent figure throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, is stepping down at the end of this year, marking the end of nearly four decades as the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

His Journey and Leadership

Fauci, 81, has been at the forefront of the federal response to national health emergencies since 1984. As the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he has tackled numerous significant health threats.

  • Served under seven US presidents, beginning with Ronald Reagan.
  • Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.
  • Played critical roles in managing responses to AIDS, Ebola, the Zika virus, and anthrax scares.
Fauci, right, briefs President Ronald Reagan, far left, and other members of the President's Commission on AIDS in 1987.
Fauci, right, briefs President Ronald Reagan, far left, and other members of the President’s Commission on AIDS in 1987.

Diana Walker/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Fauci, as the chief of AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health, talks with colleagues in his laboratory in 1990.
Fauci, as the chief of AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health, talks with colleagues in his laboratory in 1990.

George Tames/The New York Times/Redux

Fauci testifies to a House subcommittee during a 2001 hearing about vaccines for biological weapon defense.
Fauci testifies to a House subcommittee during a 2001 hearing about vaccines for biological weapon defense.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Fauci looks over his notes before testifying to a Senate committee about SARS in 2003.
Fauci looks over his notes before testifying to a Senate committee about SARS in 2003. Chuck Kennedy/MCT/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
Fauci, right, speaks with Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt at a pandemic planning conference in Washington in 2005. At center is Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fauci, right, speaks with Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt at a pandemic planning conference in Washington in 2005. At center is Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chuck Kennedy/MCT/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
Fauci speaks to Dr. H. Clifford Lane at the National Institutes of Health in 2007.
Fauci speaks to Dr. H. Clifford Lane at the National Institutes of Health in 2007. The Washington Post/Getty Images
In 2008, US President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Fauci 'for his determined and aggressive efforts to help others live longer and healthier lives.'
In 2008, US President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Fauci ‘for his determined and aggressive efforts to help others live longer and healthier lives.’

Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Fauci is seen in the foreground while testifying to the House about an H1N1 vaccine in 2009.
Fauci is seen in the foreground while testifying to the House about an H1N1 vaccine in 2009.

Jim Young/Reuters

Fauci hugs Nina Pham, a Texas nurse who had been infected with Ebola, after she was declared Ebola-free in 2014.
Fauci hugs Nina Pham, a Texas nurse who had been infected with Ebola, after she was declared Ebola-free in 2014.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Fauci talks with President Barack Obama while Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell looks on in 2014. It was during a tour of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health.
Fauci talks with President Barack Obama while Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell looks on in 2014. It was during a tour of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
In 2016, Fauci listens during a discussion about the Zika virus at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.
In 2016, Fauci listens during a discussion about the Zika virus at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Fauci and President Donald Trump look at coronavirus models during a tour of the National Institutes of Health in March 2020.
Fauci and President Donald Trump look at coronavirus models during a tour of the National Institutes of Health in March 2020.

Doug Mills/The New York Times/Redux

Fauci displays guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus during a White House news conference in March 2020.
Fauci displays guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus during a White House news conference in March 2020.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Redux

Fauci wears a mask while President Donald Trump speaks about vaccine development in May 2020.
Fauci wears a mask while President Donald Trump speaks about vaccine development in May 2020.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Fauci throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals in July 2020.
Fauci throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals in July 2020.

Rob Carr/Getty Images North

In December 2020, Fauci receives his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
In December 2020, Fauci receives his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Patrick Semansky/Pool/Getty Images

Fauci, next to President Joe Biden, talks at the White House about a new Covid-19 variant in November 2021. Fauci has been chief medical adviser to the President since January 2021.
Fauci, next to President Joe Biden, talks at the White House about a new Covid-19 variant in November 2021. Fauci has been chief medical adviser to the President since January 2021.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Fauci appears on a screen as he testifies during a Senate hearing on the ongoing federal response to the pandemic in June 2022. Fauci was attending virtually after testing positive for Covid-19.
Fauci appears on a screen as he testifies during a Senate hearing on the ongoing federal response to the pandemic in June 2022. Fauci was attending virtually after testing positive for Covid-19. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Fauci gives his last White House briefing in November 2022.
Fauci gives his last White House briefing in November 2022. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images


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