US top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci has been honored with a $1m check for his work combating Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
Fauci, who infamously clashed with former US president Donald Trump on his covid-19 policies much to the displeasure of Trump, is one of the seven recipients of the 2021 Dan David Prize, a $1 million award endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
The annual prize is divided into three categories — past, present, and future. Fauci won the prize for the present section, and is this year’s only individual winner.
The foundation says Fauci was chosen because of his exceptional work with infectious diseases over his life, including HIV, Ebola, Zika, and most recently, Covid-19.
“Dr. Fauci has been a global leader in control and research of infectious diseases that present a major public health challenge,” Dr. Elizabeth Miller, the chair of the selection committee, said in the award announcement on Tuesday night, February 16.
“Dr. Fauci’s contribution has encompassed the basic laboratory and clinical research that has underpinned the development of effective treatments and vaccines for these diseases, but equally important his leadership has helped ensure that this basic research has been translated into a public health impact across the world.”
Miller said Fauci’s “courageous leadership,” noted worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, was another reason he was selected for the prize
