On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, the Institute of Politics’ John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum held their most attended event since the pandemic, according to Forum Co-Chair Hannah Bottarel ’24. With three filled floors of attendees and many still standing, an excited buzz filled the conference room: America’s doctor was about to speak.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, visited the JFK Jr. Forum to speak about his history, triumphs during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and highly contested response to Covid-19.
Fall 2016 IOP Resident Fellow Peter Staley returned to campus to moderate the event. As an AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist, Staley collaborated with Fauci on advocacy and policy measures throughout the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s. Their close friendship allowed the Forum to host a laid-back discussion of heavy themes.
Before introducing Dr. Fauci, Peter Staley surprised attendees—and the Forum planning committee—by pulling out wine glasses for himself and his guest. “Normally, when we talk after 6 PM, we both have a glass of pinot noir in front of us,” Staley said. “Only Peter,” responded Fauci. This lighthearted exchange set the Forum’s casual tone.
Layla Chaaraoui ’26 said, “[Dr. Fauci] had great chemistry with longtime friend Peter Staley, and it was nice to hear their interactions, especially considering that Staley has criticized Fauci at times.”
On Fauci’s continued work with Covid-19, Staley boldly asked: “Did you mess up with masks?”
Fauci responded that this simple question has a “complicated answer.” Public health communications and directions on masking varied throughout the pandemic due to changes in the available information. “In science, it’s a self-correcting process. You make a decision based on the data that you have. If the data changes, . . . you have an obligation as a scientist to change what you’re saying,” said Fauci.
“I was very moved by Dr. Fauci’s bravery,” said Jane Lichtman ’26. “It seems like no matter what happens, he’s ready to defend himself and his decisions during the pandemic in the face of anti-scientific attacks.”
Staley closed his questions with humor, asking Dr. Fauci to rate Senator of Kentucky Rand Paul on a scale from “Mother Theresa to total dickwad.” In response, Dr. Fauci highlighted the dangers of “politicizing a very serious situation that the American population is facing.”
AIDS and HIV relief was one of Fauci’s primary motivators in becoming director of NIAID in 1984. “I didn’t think that the scientific community was taking this disease serious enough . . . I think it was the disenfranchisement of the populations involved,” he said. “I [took the position at NIAID] to really turn attention to HIV. And that’s what I did.”
Fauci primarily contributed to fighting AIDS through his work with President George H.W Bush, one of the seven U.S presidents that Fauci has advised over the past 38 years. Their collaboration created a program that now saves 20 million lives annually across the globe.
Dr. Fauci admitted that he took a risk in focusing his time and energy on AIDS. “I’m not 100% sure what it was inside me [that made me shift gears]. I think it was a combination of excitement about something new and empathy for the people involved,” he said.
Lichtman was “especially moved after hearing about [Dr. Fauci’s] journey to collaborating with HIV/AIDS activists when most of the medical community refused to encourage their cause. Empathy and openness to everyone seem essential but very underrated qualities in public health officials.”
Fauci’s mantra is to “expect the unexpected.” He believes his success as director of NIAID comes partly from his ability to connect with activists and the general population. “Most of the scientific community said, ‘Oh, stay away from these crazies,’ and one of the things that I feel good about is [asking myself] if I were in their shoes, what would I be doing? I decided that I would be doing exactly what they were doing and I became an activist,” he said.
While most students were excited to see Fauci speak because of his work combating the Covid-19 crisis, many were particularly interested to learn more about the rest of his monumental contributions to public health care. Lily O’Donoghue-McDonald ’26 said, “I knew he had done some great work in his career, but I didn’t know about his inclusion of HIV/AIDS activists in his study of the virus, which was why it was especially helpful that [the Forum] was moderated by Peter Staley.”
According to Jack Silvers ’25, who is in his second semester on the Forum committee, “the Forum is such a nexus within [the Harvard Kennedy School] It really is in the center of everything.” As a result, students from every school at Harvard attend Forum events, and many were understandably eager to ask questions of Dr. Fauci.
Andrew Lu ’25 asked Dr. Fauci to share “an accomplishment, a mistake, a story that hasn’t been covered as much” that gives him strength in light of intense scrutiny from news media. Dr. Fauci responded that he feels like he has been “publicly colonoscopied” by the media, which was met with laughter from the audience. He then highlighted that “personal relationships, particularly my family, which has really been the core of what keeps me sane, particularly lately, where I get attacked every single night on FOX News . . . and a lot of politicians running their campaigns on ‘put Fauci in jail, hang him, kill him.’”
Fauci shared that his priorities are “public health, science, medicine, and young people.” He is particularly hoping to inspire the youth to make meaningful contributions to society. Fauci achieved his goal—whether it was their first or tenth Forum event, students left the IOP feeling energized. Through this casual conversation, Fauci was deemed approachable—a key ingredient for a successful role model.
Fajr Khan ’26 added that “[the Forum allowed me] to see a more personal side of [Fauci]. The conversation humanized such an influential figure and showed me Dr. Fauci’s sense of humor as well as his love for his family.”
Tarina Ahuja ’24 asked Dr. Fauci: “thinking about how you’re a caretaker of so many, how do you care for yourself during a time like this, and how do we build mental health into our public health infrastructure, particularly at a time where our generation is experiencing a mental health epidemic?”
Dr. Fauci responded that “Covid has shone a very bright spotlight on . . . the fragility of mental health in our society,” and he shared his fears concerning the long-term effects of the mental health epidemic. Concerning his own well-being, Dr. Fauci shared his love for exercise: “I walk, but I walk really fast!”
Bottarel, who spoke individually with Fauci after the event, was “in awe of his candor and humility. He was very down to Earth.” According to Bottarel, Dr. Fauci even took a photo of the Forum committee using “BeReal”.
Amiya Tiwari ’26 (amiyatiwari@college.harvard.edu) was very moved by Dr. Fauci’s visit and hopes he will one day take her BeReal.