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The Dan David Prize organization has confirmed that Dr. Anthony Fauci was among recipients of the Prize. It was due to recognizing his career in public health and speaking truth to power during the coronavirus pandemic. The awards committee issued a statement and said, “The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director at the US National Institutes of Health and Biden’s chief medical adviser is the consummate model of leadership and impact in public health”. The prize (associated with Tel Aviv University) awards three $1 million prizes for achievements having an outstanding scientific, technological, cultural, or social impact on our world. Point to be noted that 10% of the prize money is set aside for academic scholarships in each winner’s field.

Other 2021 recipients include historians Alison Bashford of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Katharine Park of Harvard University, and Keith Wailoo of Princeton University. They will share a prize of $1 million for studying the history of health and medicine. Zelig Eshhar of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania, and Steven Rosenberg of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health will also share a $1 million for work in cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Anthony Fauci emerged as the face of the US response to the public health crisis during a turbulent and insufficient federal effort under Donald Trump’s administration. Dr. Fauci has returned to the White House under President Joe Biden as a chief medical adviser.

The former president sidelined or removed him from the foreground of the federal response in the final months of his administration. Dr. Fauci addressed the World Health Organization within hours of the President’s inauguration to assure the agency that the US will honor its partnership and funding commitments. The former President Donald Trump antagonized the United Nations group and pledged to isolate the US from its global health efforts. Dr. Fauci has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He also helped launch the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief under then-president George W Bush. The prize committee said Dr. Fauci leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform the public about the spread of Covid-19.