On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service

Fauci recounts the early steps of the Bush administration in tackling the global HIV/AIDS crisis. As President George W. Bush took office, Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed keen interest in tackling the AIDS pandemic in developing countries. Fauci briefed Thompson and worked with the National Security Council, helping draft a government report in order to shape international AIDS policy. This report guided a new initiative that would eventually become the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (officially established in 2002). Bush, acknowledging the global threat AIDS posed, committed $200 million to support the fund. Fauci notes that this was the moment when he could see a significant shift in international attention toward AIDS.

Fauci details his experience on September 11, 2001, starting with his arrival in New York for a board meeting and witnessing the terrorist attacks. He describes seeing the planes strike the Twin Towers, the shock and horror among his colleagues, and his concern for his family’s safety back in Washington, D.C. He was particularly worried about his daughters, whose school, the National Cathedral School, is situated in the most elevated place in Washington and could be vulnerable to a terrorist attack.