Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday that he would retire in December from his roles as chief medical advisor to US Vice President Joe Biden and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Also retiring from his position as director of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation is Fauci, 81. Fauci was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the head of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He currently serves as President Joe Biden’s main medical advisor. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, he played a key role in the federal government’s response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”
Biden praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him..”
Beginning with Ronald Reagan, Fauci provided advice to seven US presidents during the AIDS crisis, West Nile virus, the 2001 anthrax attacks, the pandemic flu, numerous threats from bird flu, Ebola, Zika, and, most recently, COVID-19 and monkeypox.
The 81-year-old confirmed in a statement that he would not be retiring but rather quitting in December of this year. He had previously stated in July that he will retire by the conclusion of Joe Biden’s first term in office in 2025.
