 In
the summer of 1981, when Dr. Anthony S. Fauci read the first
reports about a strange immune disorder among gay men, he felt
concern about a new disease emerging. But when the same condition
appeared soon after among intravenous drug users, "I started
to get goose pimples," he recalls. "I said, 'My goodness.
This could be an infection that is transmitted by blood and
by sex, and I do not have the foggiest idea of what it is.'"
A senior investigator with the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases at the time, Dr. Fauci was one of the
few researchers devoted solely to human immunobiology. He assembled
a small group of scientists, including Drs. Clifford Lane and
Henry Masur, to study the emerging disease. In short order,
Dr. Fauci converted his lab from one that explored fundamental
questions of immunology to one that focused on AIDS.
"As every month went by, I became more convinced that
we were dealing with something that was going to be a disaster
for society," he says. In a 1982 Annals of Internal
Medicine editorial, Dr. Fauci predicted that AIDS would
not stay confined to the populations where it first appeared.
When he became NIAID director in 1984, Dr. Fauci continued his
laboratory and clinical research in addition to his administrative
duties, believing he could have a broader impact on the field
of immunology in these multiple roles. As a researcher, he made
breakthroughs in understanding how HIV destroys the body's immune
system, and he helped develop strategies to restore immune defenses.
As an administrator, Dr. Fauci led efforts that convinced Congress
to dramatically increase funds for AIDS research, and he established
a Division of AIDS within the Institute.
Remembering the spirit of the people in his lab during those
early years, Dr. Fauci says, "It is an indescribable experience
knowing that what you are doing will have an impact on the lives
of tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people. That gives
you a lot of energy to do what you are doing."
Today, Dr. Fauci continues as NIAID director, clinician, and
chief of an AIDS research lab, in addition to being one of the
government's leading spokespersons on HIV/AIDS issues. |
