Person with whom to begin a series of dialogues about policy than dr. Anthony fauci, director of the National Institute of allergy and institute of health. For c millions across the country and indeed the world, dr. Fauci has emerged in this moment as a trusted source with scientific authority. For four decades he has exemplified the role of scientists and public servants. Through the early years of the aids crisis in 1980, doctor treadwell was among the first scientists to not only launchg himself into research but to collaborate with activists to advanced treatment. In the following decade he advised president s of both parties in every pandemic in the world hed seen from stars, to avian view to ebola to make sure sound science drove effective policy. Now in the covid era, he continues to service his commitment to the best information on policymakers and the public. In a 2005 acacia, dr. Fauci had the three Guiding Principles of his life. Too speak and learn every day. Too strive for excellence and humankind. We are profoundly grateful that he had so assiduously followed all three of these principles throughout his illustrious career. Our world is better for it and healthier for it. Please join me in welcoming dr. Fauci back to john hopkins university. Thank you very much its a real pleasure to be here with you today. And i am looking forward to our discussion, this is an extraordinarily important topic that we are dealing with. This is historic pandemic, the likes of which we have not seen in our own civilization 402 years, since the very historic and memorable 1918 spanish flu. So i look forward to the dialogue will have been discussing various aspects that i believe our audience would be interested in. Thank you. Sue at great, thank you so much. Now i have been listening to what you have been telling the public. Your message is so clear. And that message is all about Public Health. It is that we all need to Pay Attention and follow Public Health measures we can better control the spread of the virus and get our community and country back on track. And we thank you for your unwavering commitment too protecting the Publics Health by always seeking truth. Thank you. Host leverages reminiscent of little bit. At the beginning of the Public Health, i am very please have the opportunity to host this conversation. And actually one of my First Official duties was back in 2018 what i provided over a symposium too reflect on Lessons Learned response in 1918 influence of endemic that you mention. You may not rememberer this, but you are our keynote speaker response to the symposium tap questions are you prepared when the next pandemic hits, the answer from our expert was a resounding no. Even though it was acknowledge that we had made lots of progress. And here we are, together again today facing the reality that was painted for some very stark colors that afternoon on this nine years ago. We bent the forefront of the Public Health response with every major and set influenza pandemic we first admitted. We continue to pursue the greatest Public Health challenges by doing the research and very importantly translating that research into programs and policies that make a difference in peoples lives. Some behalf of my colleagues and a region of alumni around the world who i know will be watching this, i want to thank you for your tremendous leadership in sharing your perspective. Not only on this unprecedented type in the history of Public Health in science and policy. So with that, let me begin. Perhaps start the question by requesting on your nearly four decades on the National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases, he led the United States as we said before and its response to hiv the tuberculosis, and emerging including ebola and z. My question is what drives you too continue this work . And you feel the federal governments policy should be involved in any way . Guest the thing that drives me is my commitment to this whole concept that John Hopkins School of Public Health stands for. Namely not Public Health of our nation but of the world. Im fundamentally a physician. But im also a scientist. When i got involved as a director of the institute, i had been an aids researcher for a few years before that. Fundamentally the chief of a laboratory at the nih doing clinical invasive research and hiv. I became the director of the nance and trent National Institute of allergies and Infectious Diseases i was exposed to the broad aspects of Global Health were intertwined with hiv. It was so clear to me there so many, many problems throughout the world that could be addressed both by science, science application, and good Public Health measures. And i really became totally committed to that. Seven you say what drives me, what is the driving force . It is the realization, not only of the and norman c of the problem, but of the fact we can do something about it. It is not an unsolvable problem of series of problems. Its something we can do somethingns about. And the second part of your question, you mentioned the role of government in that, both government atab its best can be responsible for things that individual private sector components would not be willing to take up. So for example, in the United States, such as confined to the United States, we have the realization that there are the need to develop interventions in the form of vaccines and therapeuticscs for diseases that may not be the kind of commercially viable interventions. But the world needs them. We have seen that with many of the things we have done with malaria, wit tuberculosis diseases that are not particularly germane to the people of a given country. But because it is a Global Health problem, if you look at what we have done to the nih, through the cdc, through other agencies of the federal government, and has really been critical to the viability of a good public in Global Health effort. So it is something that, i know you do, its something that i love as something that is a task that i wake up every morning feeling that there is a chore ahead and theres something we can do about it. Ms. The stakes are enormous producing a peoples lives in peoples health. I dont too put down any other profession but it seems to me you cant get much better than that that is what you are suited for that is what you want to do. Absolutely. We are so happy that you have that drive that commitment to that mission. You mentioned your early years with hiv and s aids. Talk a little on how the experience in those early years, how informed your response to the current pandemic . You know there are some similarities and some stark differences. You know, . Back then it was perceived as a very restricted problem. Our member i wrote an article in 1981 that got published in 1982 saying anyone who thanks this disease is going to stay restricted to an epidemiological Restricted Group does not know much about Infectious Diseases. Because the chances are it is going to be a global issue. As it turns out, unfortunately, very unfortunately, that was prophetic. But we had difficulty getting people mobilized too realize the potential impact of this. Because it did not universally affect people in the uniform wa way. It was a a behaviorally related disease. Whether the behavior was just something people could not avoi avoid, or was part of a diltural what have you. It was behaviorally related. Whereas what we are dealing with now is a very, very complicated issue i must say. It is complicated because it is having a global serious impact. But its verype difficult and relating to the people how serious it really is. Because there are so many people who get infected have no serious consequences. How do you mobilize a uniform message, an effort that this is something that is serious. That we need to take seriously all you need to do is look at the numbers. 215,000 in the United States, 7. 8 million infections over a million deathswo worldwide. And yet, understandably, there are people that look at the disease and setyo you know, if im a Young Healthy person the chances are nothing is going to bother me. So they do not want to participate in the control of an outbreak that for some people, the Vulnerable People, the elderly, those with underlying conditions. Disproportionally hitting minorities. For those people this is a very serious threat. So i just find that in both cases we have messaging difficulty. Messaging of getting people to understand what hivaids was. Taand what it would ultimately turn out to be. And i find that we are having the same messaging difficulty right now. Those are the similarities and those are thehe differences. You think will of the learn the general public will of her learn that General Health message . Its not just taking care of yourself is taking care of a community. You know i hope so. Ar that is at the essence of Global Health. If youre only individual healt health, youre putting yourself in somewhat of a vacuum. Which means if it i afflicts me, bothers me, i will worry about it. If it doesnt, whott cares. While that is the antithesis of someone who is aware of and connected to the concept of public and Global Health. And it is what i say when we talk about covid19. Its the same theme i mentioned a mobile jim ago. If a person gets infected and says to themselves the chances are i am not going to have a consequence. So it does not matter to me. So ill do whatever i want to d do. I will practice misbehavior. I will go to bars, be crowded, not wear a mask. Well, that woul be fine if your infection is not ultimately impact other people. But youve got to get the message to people that if you get infected. Even if you do notop have a single symptom, what you are doing is you are propagating a pandemic. Because by getting infected your keeping the pandemic live. So even without symptoms you may inadvertently, i will use the word innocently affect someone else who infects someone else, who then you might have someone who is really vulnerable. Summons grandparents, the wife of someone, a woman who has Breast Cancer and on chemotherapy. Someones beloved wife. A child with immune deficiency. After american young person with sickle cell disease. Those are the people who are going to be at very high risk with serious consequences. So if you think by getting infected in saying, poohpoohing the prevention modalities, that you are living in a vacuum. No, you are becoming part of the problem. When you should really try to be part of the solution. See what i think we could spend the entire time we have iegether talking how to get that message out. At the root of things it is so important. Im hopeful after the pandemic it will change the discourse. Hopefully. But moving on. Youve been through many challenging moments. What advice would you give to Aspiring Health about relationships between science and politics . Guest okay. I would get them too understand that there is a difference between politics and policy. [laughter] and that means that science and evidence based facts that will bring about going with the data, going with science and being flexible enough, we heard only with the situation which we are in the middle of right now. We still do not know everything we need to know or may Public Health, from a clinical or from a scientific standpoint about covid19. So when you are talk about policy, making policies, what should you be doing a Public Health measures . How do parentheses spread of infection . What you do about School Opening or not . Would he do about business opening or not . That is policy thats based on scientific facts. Politics are a different thing. Because when you are dealing with politics, then you have people who understandably. Because politics are good. Politics or how countries are run. People have agendas. And the agendas may not necessarily coincide with what you as a Public Health person see as using the facts in the evidence to guide you in your policy. So my advice to young people, unless you want to be a politician they away from the politics and let science and good data and good evidence to guide your policy. See what youve done an excellent job at that. I note is not easy the time. So a summit has had a strong connection to academic medicine, Environmental Research r, what do you see is the role of universities . And in the policy making process, how is this role evolved overpa time . And what would you like too see the university do . What role would you like too see them play as a current pandemic continues . You know the universities, including, very much your own, is really the home of such extraordinary academic talent of people who come in with an inquisitiveness too learn, to get down to the facts that it is, to me, and indispensable part of any efforts in science or in Global Health. The government itself, the nih for example of which i am a member of one of the institutes, has been historically a great supporter of what goes on at universities and schools for Public Health. I think you need to synergize and partner with each other. I dont think the federal government can do this by themselves. I dont think the Academic Community would have the support to be able to do it by themselves. And then we want to bring in a nether component which is as important as the other, is the pharmaceutical companies. You have a partnership between the pure academics of the university with the mandates that a government has, particularly for Public Health of the nation and the world. And to develop interventions that are going too get us to that goal think the medical centers the schools of Public Health, the schools of medicine, are extremely important to any effort that we are going to make in Public Health for our own nation as globally. The once of any department tywork . Guest absolutely. You cannot silo at all. Right. Here iset a question that our faculty are particularly interested in asking you. Especially early career faculty areng quite worried about the effects of the pandemic related to research the way including reluctance to studies and other issues. What we are very grateful the nih allowed investigators to draw on this. Be silly to backfill their fund funds. I guess the question is how concerned are you ono the impact of the pond them jim pandemic interning external . Express especially young investigators, we worry about them during the pandemic. Guest you bring up such an important point, mackenzie, this very troublesome to us. You know with covid19 we were concerned about the lack of consistency of funding for the nih and young investigators who rely on funding from institutions like the nih, havent insecurity of not knowing what is going too happen two or three years from now. Particularly when they see their mentors being insecure about getting rent. Then you superimpose weve been suit with the congress of the last several years, not counting this past year because it has been money put into special projects for covid19. Theyve been pretty generous with us. The congress has been extraordinary in theirs, generosity to the nih led by some real heroes on both sides of the aisle of the senate and in the house. But now you have this interruption in the hiatus, the only thing i can say is too encourage the young people to please hang in there. And dont give up on what could be a potentially enriching career at the nih we are trying very hard. I think we will be successful too get resources to go and backfill on the essentially lost time, lost experiments. I can tell you my own self in my own laboratory nih when you have cohorts that you are following. That you cannot bring them into the hospital. And we have Clinical Trials that are twoyear Clinical Trials that all of the sudden have to stop and pause. And i do my very best too encourage the young chambered faculty to just hang in there. It is going too get better, i promise you, dont give up, dont give up. Civic it Better Things will come i assure you. Spent thats a great message i hope all of our faculty especially our young faculty will listen to this. And hearing that message. Its great advice. We reach out to her students and asked them if they have any questions for you we got a few. One question that was submitted relating back to what you just talked about in the difficulty to trials and cohort studies and how that might be getting a little more difficult with the trust in science. To try to gain that trust back in the future line of work. Is that something as investigators and scientists we are quite concerned about. Civic yesterday think that is being strained and stressed right now what we are going through with covid19. We are arty seeing expression of reluctance and not trusting me scientific establishments to free themselves of political influence about whether a vaccine is safe or effective. So what we, in the Scientific Community, the young peopl