Anthony Fauci retired from federal service in December 2022 after more than 50 years at the National Institutes of Health, including 38 years as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He simultaneously stepped down as Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden. Since then, he has moved into academia, published a memoir, testified before Congress, and remained a lightning rod for political debate over the COVID-19 pandemic response.
His Role at Georgetown University
Fauci joined the Georgetown University faculty as a Distinguished University Professor, the university’s highest professional honor. The appointment, which began July 1, 2023, is split between the School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and the McCourt School of Public Policy. In this role, he participates in medical and graduate education and engages directly with students. He has also made appearances at universities including Harvard, where he spoke in September 2024 about lessons from five decades in public health, communicating evolving science, and navigating global infectious disease threats.
Congressional Testimony in 2024
In June 2024, Fauci appeared before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic for a high-profile, politically charged hearing. Republicans pressed him on NIAID’s grant to EcoHealth Alliance, which funneled money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for bat coronavirus research. Fauci testified that he was not aware of the specific subaward to the Wuhan lab until after the COVID-19 outbreak and maintained that, under the regulatory definition, “the NIH did not fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
He also described the personal toll of his public role during the pandemic, telling the subcommittee that he and his family had faced “credible death threats leading to the arrest of two individuals.” Democrats on the panel pushed back against what they called the vilification of public health officials, while Republicans argued that serious failures in NIH grant oversight had enabled risky research in China.
The EcoHealth Alliance Investigation
Although Fauci himself is no longer a direct target of the congressional probe, the investigation into how NIAID managed its grants during his tenure is ongoing. The Select Subcommittee found what it called “serious shortcomings and failures” in how NIH awarded and monitored research grants, concluding that these gaps enabled EcoHealth Alliance to facilitate gain-of-function research in Wuhan. NIH Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak testified in a separate hearing that grant procedures needed significant reform. The subcommittee recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services begin debarment proceedings against EcoHealth Alliance president Peter Daszak personally.
His Memoir: “On Call”
Fauci published a memoir in 2024 titled “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” released by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The book covers his full career arc, from his early years as a research clinician at NIAID through his leadership during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and ultimately the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledges mistakes made in the pandemic response, particularly when information was incomplete and rapidly changing, while framing science as “an iterative process.” He also calls the spread of misinformation enabled by social media “one of the true enemies of public health” and credits vaccine development with saving millions of lives. Personal threads run through the book as well, including his Italian heritage, his family, and his love of sports. Fauci has said his main motivation for writing it was to share his experiences with a younger generation as “an example and hopefully an inspiration for some to pursue a life serving others.”
Security Detail Controversy
One detail that drew public attention after Fauci’s retirement is his continued security protection. Reports indicate he has received roughly $15 million in protection costs, including Secret Service coverage and a U.S. Marshals security detail with a private driver. The arrangement has drawn scrutiny from government spending watchdogs who have questioned why such extensive protection continues years after he left office, though the ongoing death threats documented during his congressional testimony provide context for the decision.
Awards and Public Speaking
Fauci has continued to receive recognition from academic and ethical institutions. In September 2024, Case Western Reserve University awarded him the Inamori Ethics Prize, given annually since 2008 to honor international leaders whose actions have “greatly improved the condition of humankind.” As part of the prize, he delivered a public lecture and participated in an academic symposium on the university’s campus. He has also maintained a steady schedule of speaking engagements at universities and public health forums, drawing on his experience advising seven U.S. presidents on infectious disease threats.