Who is White House immunologist Anthony Fauci?
The Brooklyn born immunologist and physician is seen by many Americans as a trustworthy voice in the coronavirus crisis.
Not only does he appear in Donald Trump's daily press conferences in his role as the White House's chief medical adviser on the Covid-19 pandemic. His face is also stamped on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even doughnuts.
The director of the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, is everywhere these days. It's just that for many, this short, 79-year-old epidemiologist with a strong Brooklyn accent is a new national hero: a scientist who tells the truth to a terrified nation and led by a president who sometimes shows little understanding of the facts.
Formative years
Fauci was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 24, 1940, into an Italian-American family and became head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, when the nation was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. He has recalled the huge frustration of caring for dying patients in the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) hospital with nothing to offer. Despite his career in government, Fauci has never lost his ability to communicate efficiently and honestly.
Fast-forward to present day and the 79-year-old is again at the forefront of scientists' efforts to dispel misinformation and explain the Covid-19 pandemic, even when it means challenging the current U.S. president under the glare of global television.
Social media star
With his frequent appearances at the White House, Fauci has been "propelled into the consciousness of all," said Robert Thompson, a television and popular culture expert at Syracuse University in New York.
"As soon as it became clear that there was community spread ... then it became clear that we were in real trouble," says Dr. Fauci.
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 20, 2020
"That was probably towards the middle to end of January.”https://t.co/fxui9zzq6s
Fauci is on social media, giving live interviews in his husky voice on Snapchat, answering questions from basketball star Stephen Curry on Instagram, and speaking with comedian Trevor Noah on YouTube.
Many Americans like Fauci for his direct way of explaining a world transformed by the pandemic. He is often in the unbearable position of having to correct U.S. President Trump while standing next to him.
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