Thanks to his habit of actively defending science amid the pandemic era, Dr. Anthony Fauci—the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—has been awarded the $1 million Dan David Prize.
The Dan David Foundation, based in Israel, announced Dr. Fauci as the winner of one of three prizes due to the recognition he’s earned from displaying leadership on HIV research, AIDS relief, and COVID-19 vaccines.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled, [Fauci] leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread,” a rep for the foundation’s awards committee said on Monday, per the Associated Press.
Dr. Fauci, the rep added, spoke “truth to power in a highly charged political environment.”
The Dan David Prize has been running for two decades and sees three recipients honored each year in categories focused on the past, the present, and the future. Dr. Fauci bagged the award this year for the “present” category, which recognizes “achievements that shape and enrich society today.”
After experiencing constant public frustrations during the previous POTUS’ single-term presidency, Dr. Fauci has made it quite clear that his relationship with the new Biden administration (under which he serves as chief medical adviser) is markedly better.
“One of the things that was very clear as recently as about 15 minutes ago—when I was with the president—is that one of things that we’re going to do is to be completely transparent, open, and honest,” Dr. Fauci told reporters last month. “If things go wrong, not point fingers, but correct them, and make everything we do based on science and evidence.”
