Dr Anthony Fauci appointed ‘distinguished university professor’ at Georgetown University

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the Biden White House and longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will teach some of its hard-won lessons for students to manage the Covid pandemic.

Starting in July, Dr. Fauci will become a “distinguished college professor” in Georgetown’s Department of Medicine in the Department of Infectious Diseases, for an as-yet unpublic fee.

Outside the department, that’provides clinical care, conducts research and trains future physicians in infectious diseases,” as the school noted in their announcement, Dr. Fauci also hold a position at Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

The immunologist and policymaker has faced mounting criticism since he left government last August, not least over allegations that he was reaping the rewards of his controversial pandemic-era fame by pocketing sky-high speaker fees.

“I am delighted to be joining the Georgetown family,” Fauci said in a statement with the school, “an institution steeped in clinical and academic excellence with an emphasis on the Jesuit tradition of public service.”

“This is a natural extension of my scientific, clinical and public health career,” he said, “which was originally based on my high school and college years, where I was exposed to the intellectual rigor, integrity and service-mindedness of Jesuit institutions.”

Dr. Fauci — whose net worth is estimated to be more than $12 million — caused much division during his pandemic response. Critics criticized him for exaggerating the effectiveness of vaccines to boost uptake, flipping face masks and pushing for lockdowns.

Last month, Dr. Fauci delivered the graduation speech to graduates of the Yale School of Medicine, a performance that may have earned him anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, based on rates posted by his representation at Leading Motivational Speakers.

Dr. Fauci’s speaking fee was taken off the Leading Motivational Speakers site last February

By the time he retired last year, the 82-year-old Fauci had spent more than half a decade in public service and had advised every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.

Since joining the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 1968, Fauci served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for more than 40 years. There, Fauci’s career was defined by his work on first the HIV and AIDS crisis and later the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the 1980s, Fauci became a target of activists, who harshly criticized the Ronald Reagan administration and him for being too slow to address AIDS and throwing government resources behind its treatment.

As a leading figure in America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a polarizing figure as a lightning rod for both criticism and praise, but indisputably a leading voice on infectious disease guiding US pandemic policy.

In a statement announcing the nomination, Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said, “We are deeply honored to have Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a dedicated public servant, humanitarian and visionary leader in global health, to Georgetown.”