Dr. Anthony Fauci (born in 1940) is a renowned immunologist and public health official who has played a transformative role in American medicine, infectious disease research, and public health policy for over five decades. Fauci, who comes from an Italian American first-generation family in Brooklyn, New York, earned his M.D. from Cornell Medical College in 1966. He joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1968 and became an instrumental figure at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), eventually serving as its director from 1984 until his retirement in 2022. His tenure included managing responses to global health crises ranging from HIV/AIDS to SARS, Ebola, and, most famously, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci’s memoir, On Call, chronicles the events of his long career and discusses Fauci’s experience at the intersection of science, politics, and public opinion. His position as one of the leading public health officials in the US allowed him to influence policy decisions and communicate health risks directly to the public, which was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The narration of experiences from a personal perspective illustrates the sacrifices, ethical considerations, and problems that arise with being a leader in public health.