Hi, it's Diane. On my mind, Dr Anthony Pouchy. He became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic. To many, he was a hero for his efforts to relay potentially life-saving information.

But he also found himself at the center of conspiracy theories

and became the target of the vitriolic political backlash. It's just very painful and tragic that people make decisions

that will ultimately lead to their detriment.

Dr. Fauchy served as Director of the National Institute

Allergy and Infectious diseases from 1984 to 2022.

He is advised seven presidents guiding the nation's response to AIDS, Zika, Ebola, and anthrax.

His work on a 2003 plan to address the global HIV AIDS crisis helped save more than 25 million lives.

Dr. Fauchy's new memoir is titled On Cole, a doctor's journey in public service.

He joins me to talk about his career in public health and sharing his thoughts on the threats ahead.

Dr. Fauchy is a young man.

You decided to embark on a career in infectious diseases and immunology.

You say you expected a quiet, predictable life.

And in your own words in your book,

it's been quite a ride in the process of writing this memoir.

Did it give you any new perspectives on what kind of ride it's in.

You know, Diane, it did,

and that's one of the reasons,

you know, why I wanted to write the memoir was twofold one historically because I was in the unusual

situation of having had the privilege and the opportunity of being in public service for 54 years

and being the director of the NIAID, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for almost 40 years,

and importantly to be the advisor for seven presidents starting with Ronald Reagan and ending up with

...