An Exit Interview With Dr. Fauci

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

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🗓️ 4 November 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

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Summary

Dr. Anthony Fauci is leaving his post as the nation’s top infectious disease doctor after nearly four decades.

As director of the The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), he acted as a key advisor to seven presidents. In his position, he helped the United States – and the world -- navigate the AIDS crisis, SARS, the H1N1flu virus, Zika and Ebola.

He was also a frequent guest on The Diane Rehm Show, whose list of appearances reads like a history of infectious disease in America.

This was, of course, well before the pandemic pushed Dr. Fauci into the spotlight, where he became a hero to many, a villain to some, receiving death threats and harassment even as he oversaw the race to develop a Covid vaccine.

Diane invited Dr. Fauci to join her on the podcast one last time before he steps down from his post at NIAID at the end of the year. He talked about why he feels now is the right time to change his role and start to focus on inspiring the next generation of public health professionals.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Diane. On my mind, after 38 years, Dr. Anthony Vouchy is leaving his post as
0:14.8	the nation's top infections disease doctor. Well, good morning. Hi there. I spoke with him
0:22.6	the day after Halloween and thought I'd wear my feather a halo from my costume. How are
0:30.3	you? I thought you'd like to see my angelic Halloween. I was just going to say the the
0:36.8	sainted one Diane Reem, the sainted Diane Reem. I've been talking with Dr. Vouchy about
0:44.2	public health for nearly as long as I'd been on the air. Well, before the pandemic pushed
0:51.9	him into the spotlight, we've discussed eight SARS H1N1 Ebola since February 2020 COVID-19.
1:05.0	Dr. Vouchy has been a key advisor to seven presidents and he is currently the chief medical
1:14.2	advisor to Joe Biden. I invited him on the podcast one last time before he steps down at
1:23.5	the end of the year. Dr. Vouchy, you and I have been talking for a very long time and
1:34.1	now you're getting ready to step down. Are you ready? Oh, absolutely. I'm ready. Diane,
1:42.9	I am looking upon the future as a new adventure in my life. I'm stepping down from federal
1:51.6	service, which I've loved every minute of it. I've been at the NIH, as you know, for 54
1:59.7	years and I've been the director of the Institute for 38 years. I've had the privilege of being
2:08.8	involved in a number of important projects. I've had the privilege of advising seven presidents
2:16.8	of the United States and putting together the AIDS program and the PEPFAR program. So
2:22.9	there are a lot of things that I feel very good about having done in the service of the
2:27.7	federal government as a federal government employee. But there are some things I want
2:31.8	to do while I still have the energy and the passion and the motivation to do something
2:38.7	a little bit different outside of the realm of the federal government.
2:42.1	So, chance. Well, importantly, I ask myself at my age, how old are you? I'm 81. I'm
2:52.2	going to be 82 in about two months. Okay. And I feel at my age, what do I have to offer society?
	...

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