Dr. Anthony Fauci will join Georgetown University as a distinguished professor, serving joint appointments in the medical school’s Divisions of Infectious Diseases and in the McCourt School of Public Policy.
In his role, deemed the university’s highest professional honor, Fauci will “participate in medical and graduate education and engage with students,” according to the university announced.
“We are deeply honored to welcome Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a dedicated public servant, humanitarian and visionary global health leader, to Georgetown,” Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said. “Dr. Fauci has embodied the Jesuit value of being in service to others throughout his career, and we are grateful to have his expertise, strong leadership and commitment to guiding the next generation of leaders to meet the pressing issues of our time.”
Fauci became a household name after serving as chief medical advisor to former President Donald Trump during the pandemic. He garnered criticism from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for downplaying the theory that the virus originated from a lab. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), he denied funding gain-of-function research to the Wuhan lab of virology. However, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by White Coat Waste Project revealed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) granted $41 million to Chinese gain-of-function researcher Ben Hu, who was one of three scientists hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms a month before the first confirmed case.
Fauci served as director for USAID for 38 years after retiring in December 2022.
“I ask myself, now at this stage in my life, what do I have to offer to society?” Fauci said. “And I think, sure, I could do more experiments in the lab and have my lab going. But given what I’ve been through, what I have to offer is experience and inspiration to the younger generation of students. … If I accomplish that, I think I’ll make a major contribution to Georgetown.”