Dr. Fauci wins $1 million Dan David prize for defending science
The president s chief medical advisor was praised for his work in the face of uninformed opposition during the challenging COVID crisis. Listen - 01:37
Dr. Anthony Fauci was recognized for his work battling the coronavirus. Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden s chief medical advisor, won one of the three Dan David Prizes, Israeli awards that each grant $1 million ( £720,440, AU$1.29 million) to recipients. The international awards are given in the categories Past, Present and Future, with Fauci winning the Present award, given for achievements that shape and enrich society today.
Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has won one of this year’s three $1 million Dan David Prizes, awarded to individuals and organizations deemed to be “globally inspiring.”
The Dan David Prize honors outstanding contributions that “expand knowledge of the past, enrich society in the present, and promise to improve the future of our world.”
“The coronavirus pandemic has presented humanity with new challenges,” stated Ariel Porat, professor and president of Tel Aviv University (TAU) and chairperson of the Dan David Prize Board. “Therefore, this year, we decided to honor the fields at the forefront of the battle against the virus health and medicine.”
The United States top infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has received a monetary Israeli prize worth $1 million. Fauci is among six other researchers who received two additional $1 million prizes for their contributions to health and medicine.
The Dan David prize said it honored Fauci for his career in public health, as well as speaking truth to power during the politicized COVID-19 pandemic. The prize was affiliated with Tel Aviv University, according to an NPR report.
The other Dan David Prizes were shared this year by other health and medicine historians namely Dr. Alison Bashford, Dr. Katharine Park and Dr. Keith A. Wailoo in the Past category; and Dr. Zelig Eshhar, Dr. Carl June and Dr. Steven Rosenberg.