On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service

by Anthony Fauci

That experience taught me crucial lessons. Just because no one had ever done something like this before did not mean it could not be done. I also realized how important it was to cultivate relationships with people who are in a position to make things happen. Importantly, to win over the skeptics, I learned that the cause for which you are advocating must be legitimate, worthy, and not motivated by self-interest; your arguments must be evidence based; and you must be truthful and consistent in your reasons for asking for resources. People quickly see through anything less than that.

The pamphlet had a profound effect on the country’s awareness of the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic and the risks of infection. It remains one of the most influential public health publications ever distributed by the U.S. government. It was both highly effective and controversial. This latter fact was illustrated by a syndicated cartoon that appeared in a number of newspapers showing a working mother leaving her home and telling her children as she walks out the door, “If anything comes in the mail from the Surgeon General, don’t open it!”

In the documentary How to Survive a Plague, Bob is shown playing with his toddler daughter, Sara, shortly before his death.

It was a terrific night for Larry, and it opened up my eyes a bit more to the painful experiences that he and so many of his friends and colleagues had growing up gay in a homophobic society, only to be confronted later with a deadly disease. The play would go on to receive rave reviews, win the 1993 Obie Award among other accolades, and be a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Thanks for all you do for our country and the world. I will not miss Washington very much when I leave, but I will miss you and people like you.” For me, there was no doubt that President George W. Bush ranks second to none in leading efforts toward the alleviation of suffering and prevention of deaths due to infectious diseases throughout the world.

People associate science with absolutes that are immutable, when in fact science is a process that continually uncovers new information. As new information evolves, the process of science allows for self-correction.